THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT 


HER  LADYSHIP'S  ELEPHANT 

By  DAVID  DWIGHT  WELLS.  With  cover  by 
WM.  NICHOLSON.  loth  Impression.  i2mo. 
$1.25. 

A  very  humorous  story,  dealing  with  English  society, 
growing  out  of  certain  experiences  of  the  author  while  a 
member  of  our  Embassy  in  London.  The  elephant's  ex 
periences,  also,  are  based  on  facts. 


New  York  Tribune:  "Mr.  Wells  allows  his  sense  of 
humor  to  play  about  the  personalities  of  half  a  dozen  men 
and  women  whose  lives,  for  a  few  brief,  extraordinary 
days,  are  inextricably  intertwined  with  the  life  of  the 
aforesaid  monarch  of  the  jungle.  .  .  .  Smacks  of  fun 
which  can  be  created  by  clever  actors  placed  in  excru 
ciatingly  droll  situations." 

Philadelphia  Times:  "As  breezy  a  bit  of  fiction  as  the 
reading  public  has  lately  been  offered.  Amusing  from 
the  first  page  to  the  last,  unique  in  conception,  and 
absolutely  uproarious  in  plot." 


ng. 
Outlook  :  "  Full  of  amusing  situations." 

Buffalo  Express  :  "  So  amusing  is  the  book  that  the  reader 
is  almost  too  tired  to  laugh  when  the  elephant  puts  in  his 
appearance." 

HENRY  HOLT  &  CO.         NEW  YORK. 


HIS   LORDSHIP'S   LEOPARD 


A   TRUTHFUL  NARRATION  OF 
SOME  IMPOSSIBLE  FACTS 


BY 

DAVID   DWIGHT   WELLS 

Author  of  "Her  Ladyship's  Elephant" 


NEW  YORK 

HENRY   HOLT  AND  COMPANY 
1900 


Copyright,  1900, 

BY 
HENRY  HOLT  &  CO. 


ROBERT   DRUMMOND,    PRINTER,    NEW  YORK. 


ps 


WARNING! 

THE  ensuing  work  is  a  serious  attempt  to 
while  away  an  idle  hour.  The  best  criticism 
that  the  author  received  of  "  Her  Ladyship's 
Elephant  "  was  from  an  old  lady  who  wrote 
him  that  it  had  made  her  forget  a  toothache; 
the  most  discouraging,  from  a  critic  who  ap 
proached  the  book  as  serious  literature  and 
treated  it  according  to  the  standards  of  the 
higher  criticism. 

The  author  takes  this  occasion  to  state  that 
he  has  never  been  guilty  of  writing  literature, 
serious  or  otherwise,  and  that  if  any  one  con 
siders  this  book  a  fit  subject  for  the  applica 
tion  of  the  higher  criticism,  he  will  treat  it  as 
a  just  ground  for  an  action  for  libel. 

If  the  minimum  opus  possesses  an  intrinsic 

value,  it  lies  in  the  explanation  of  the  where- 
ill 

939723 


iv  W/tRNlNG! 

abouts  of  a  Spanish  gunboat,  which,  during 
our  late  unpleasantness  with  Spain,  the  yel 
low  journalists  insisted  was  patrolling  the 
English  Channel,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
U.  S.  Board  of  Strategy  knew  that  every  avail 
able  ship  belonging  to  that  nation  was  better 
employed  somewhere  else. 

Should  this  expose  ruffle  another  English 
see,  so  much  the  worse  for  the  Bishop. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

AMERICA. 
CHAPTER   I. 

PAGE 

IN  WHICH    CECIL    BANBOROUGH    ACHIEVES    FAME, 
AND  THE  "DAILY  LEADER"  A  "  SCOOP  " 3 

CHAPTER   II. 

IN  WHICH  CECIL  BANBOROUGH  ATTEMPTS  TO  DRIVE 
PUBLIC  OPINION 18 

CHAFER   III. 

IN   WHICH    CECIL   BANBOROUGH  DRIVES  A  BLACK 
MARIA 36 

CHAPTER   IV. 

IN    WHICH   THE  BLACK   MARIA   RECEIVES  A  NEW 

INMATE 54 

CHAPTER  V. 

IN  WHICH  THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS  . .     72 
CHAPTER  VI. 

IN  WHICH  THE  BISHOP  OF   BLANFORD  RECEIVES  A 

BLACK  EYE 92 

v 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VII. 

PACK 

IN  WHICH  A  LINE  is  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED 107 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

IN  WHICH  A  LOCKET  is  ACCEPTED  AND  A  RING  RE 
FUSED 131 

PART   II. 
ENGLAND. 
CHAPTER   I. 

IN  WHICH  MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH 151 

CHAPTER  II. 

IN  WHICH  THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES 173 

CHAPTER   III. 

IN    WHICH    PEACE    is    PROPOSED    AND    WAR    DE 
CLARED 198 

CHAPTER    IV. 

IN  WHICH  THE  BISHOP  is  ABDUCTED 222 

CHAPTER   V. 

IN  WHICH  THE  BISHOP  EATS  JAM  TART,  AND  Miss 
MATILDA  HUMBLE-PIE 250 

CHAPTER  VI. 

IN  WHICH  Miss   ARMINSTER   PROPOSES  TO  MARRY 
AGAIN 269 

CHAPTER   VII. 

IN  WHICH  Miss  ARMINSTER  VERIFIES  THE  PROVERB.   288 


PART  I. 

AMERICA. 


CHAPTER    I. 

IN  WHICH  CECIL  BANBOROUGH  ACHIEVES 
FAME  AND  THE  "  DAILY  LEADER  "  A 
"  SCOOP." 

CECIL  BANBOROUGH  stood  at  one  of  the 
front  windows  of  a  club  which  faced  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  and  a  cigar 
ette  in  his  mouth,  idly  watching  the  varied 
life  of  the  great  thoroughfare.  He  had  re 
turned  to  the  city  that  morning  after  a  two 
weeks'  absence  in  the  South,  and,  having  fin 
ished  his  lunch,  was  wondering  how  he  could 
manage  to  put  in  the  time  till  the  4:30  express 
left  for  Meadowbrook.  2  P.M.,  he  reflected 
ruefully,  was  an  hour  when  New  York  had  no 
use  and  no  resources  for  men  of  leisure  like 
himself. 

Yet  even  for  a  mere  onlooker  the  pano 
rama  of  the  street  was  of  unusual  interest. 

3 


4  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

The  avenue  was  ablaze  with  bunting,  which 
hurrying  thousands  pointed  out  to  their  com 
panions,  while  every  street-corner  had  its  lit 
tle  group  of  citizens,  discussing  with  feverish 
energy  and  gestures  of  ill-concealed  disquiet 
ude  the  situation  of  which  the  gay  flags  were 
the  outward  and  visible  sign.  For  in  these 
latter  days  of  April,  1898,  a  first-class  Repub 
lic  had,  from  purely  philanthropic  motives,  an 
nounced  its  intention  of  licking  a  third-rate 
Monarchy  into  the  way  it  should  go.  Where 
at  the  good  citizens  had  flung  broadcast  their 
national  emblem  to  express  a  patriotic  en 
thusiasm  they  did  not  feel,  while  the  wiser 
heads  among  them  were  already  whispering 
that  the  war  was  not  merely  unjustifiable,  but 
might  be  expensive. 

All  these  matters,  important  as  they  doubt 
less  were,  did  not  interest  Cecil  Banborough, 
and  indeed  were  quite  dwarfed  by  the  fact  that 
this  uncalled-for  war  had  diverted  the  press 
from  its  natural  functions,  and  for  the  time 
being  had  thrown  utterly  into  the  shade  his 
new  sensational  novel,  "  The  Purple  Kanga- 


CECIL  B/tNBOROUGH  ACHIEVES  FAME,         5 

roo."  His  meditations  were,  however,  inter 
rupted  by  the  sound  of  voices  using  perfectly 
good  English,  but  with  an  accent  which  be 
spoke  a  European  parentage. 

"  '  The  Purple  Kangaroo,'  "  said  one.  "  It 
is  sufficiently  striking — Si,  Senor?  " 

"  It  serves  the  purpose  well,  mi  amigo,"  re 
plied  the  other.  "  It  is,  as  you  say,  striking; 
indeed  nothing  better  could  be  devised;  while 
its  reputation — "  And  the  voices  died  away. 

Cecil  swung  rapidly  round.  Two  gentle 
men,  slight,  swarthy,  and  evidently  of  a  Latin 
race,  were  moving  slowly  down  the  long  draw 
ing-room.  They  were  foreigners  certainly, 
Spaniards  possibly,  but  they  had  spoken  of  his 
book  in  no  modified  terms  of  praise.  He  drew 
a  little  sigh  of  satisfied  contentment  and 
turned  again  to  the  street.  Ah,  if  his  father, 
the  Bishop  of  Blanford,  could  have  heard! 

The  two  foreigners  had  meanwhile  con 
tinued  their  conversation,  though  out  of  ear 
shot.  The  elder  was  speaking. 

"As  you  say,  its  reputation  is  so  slight,"  he 
said,  "  one  of  those  ephemeral  productions 


6  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

that  are  forgotten  in  a  day,  that  it  will  serve 
our  purpose  well.  We  must  have  a  password 
— the  less  noticeable  the  better.  When  do  you 
return  to  Washington?  " 

"  The  Legation  may  be  closed  at  any  mo 
ment  now,"  replied  the  younger,  seating  him 
self  carelessly  on  the  arm  of  a  Morris  chair, 
"  and  I  may  be  wanted.  I  go  this  afternoon, 
"  a  dios  y  a  ventura" 

"  Softly;   not  so  loud." 

'"  There's  no  one  to  hear.  Keep  us  in 
formed,  I  say.  I'll  see  to  the  rest.  We've  our 
secret  lines  of  communication  nearly  com 
plete.  They  may  turn  us  out  of  their  capital, 
but; — we  shall  know  what  passes.  Carramba! 
What  is  that?  "  For,  in  leaning  back,  the 
speaker  had  come  against  an  unresisting 
body. 

Springing  up  and  turning  quickly  round, 
he  saw  that  the  chair  on  the  arm  of  which  he 
had  been  sitting  was  already  occupied  by  the 
slumbering  form  of  a  youngish  man  with  clear- 
cut  features  and  a  voluminous  golden  mous 
tache. 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  ACHIEVES  FAME.         7 

" Madre  de  Dios!  Could  he  have  heard?" 
exclaimed  the  younger  man,  moving  away. 

"Malhaya!  No!  "  replied  the  other.  "These 
pigs  of  Americanos  who  sleep  at  noonday  hear 
nothing!  Come!  "  And,  casting  a  glance  of 
concentrated  contempt  at  the  huddled-up 
figure,  he  put  his  arm  through  that  of  his  com 
panion,  and  together  they  left  the  room. 

A  moment  later  the  sleeper  sat  up,  flicked  a 
speck  of  dust  off  his  coat-sleeve,  and,  diving 
into  a  pocket,  produced  a  note-book  and  blue 
pencil  and  began  to  write  rapidly.  Evidently 
his  occupation  was  a  pleasant  one,  for  a  broad 
smile  illumined  his  face. 

"  Ah,  Marchmont,"  said  Banborough,  com 
ing  towards  him,  "  didn't  know  you'd  waked 
up." 

"Was  I  asleep?" 

"  Rather.  Don't  suppose  you  saw  those 
Spanish  Dons  who  went  out  just  now?  " 

"  Spaniards?  "  queried  Marchmont,  with  a 
preoccupied  air.  "  What  about  'em?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing  in  particular,  only  I  supposed 
that  a  Spaniard  to  a  yellow  journalist  was  like 


8  HIS  LORDSHIP -S  LEOPARD. 

a  red  rag  to  a  bull.  You  should  make  them 
into  copy — '  Conspiracy  in  a  Fifth  Avenue 
Club/  etc." 

"  Thanks,"  said  the  other,  "  so  I  might. 
Valuable  suggestion."  And  he  returned  his 
note-book  to  his  pocket. 

"  They  did  me  a  good  turn,  anyway,"  re 
sumed  Banborough.  "  They  were  talking 
about  my  book — thought  it  would  serve  its 
purpose,  was  very  striking,  said  nothing  better 
could  be  devised;  and  they  were  foreigners, 
too.  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Marchmont,  the 
public  will  wake  up  to  the  merits  of  '  The 
Purple  Kangaroo  '  some  day.  Why  doesn't 
the  Daily  Leader  notice  it?  " 

"  My  dear  Cecil,  give  me  the  space  and  I'll 
write  a  critique  the  fulsome  flattery  of  which 
will  come  up  to  even  your  exacting  demands. 
But  just  at  present  we're  so  busy  arousing 
popular  enthusiasm  that  we  really  haven't 
time." 

'  You  never  do  have  time,"  replied  Ban- 
borough,  a  trifle  petulantly,  "  except  for  sleep 
ing  after  lunch." 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  ACHIEVES  FAME.         9 

"  Ah,  that's  all  in  the  day's  work.  But  tell 
me.  You're  an  Englishman;  why  didn't  you 
publish  your  book  in  your  own  country?  " 

"  I  may  be  green,  but  I  don't  impart  confi 
dences  to  an  American  journalist." 

"Nonsense!  I  never  betray  my  friends' 
confidences  when  it's  not  worth — I  should  say, 
out  of  business  hours." 

The  Englishman  laughed. 

"  Oh,  if  you  don't  think  it  worth  while,"  he 
said,  "  I  suppose  there's  no  danger,  so  I'll  con 
fess  that  my  literary  exile  is  purely  to  oblige 
my  father." 

"The  Bishop  of  Blanford?  " 

"  The  Bishop  of  Blanford,  who  has  the  bad 
taste  to  disapprove  of  '  The  Purple  Kanga 
roo.'  " 

"  Has  he  ever  read  it?  " 

"  Of  course  not;  the  ecclesiastical  mind  is 
nothing  if  not  dogmatic." 

"  My  dear  fellow,  I  was  only  trying  to  as 
sign  a  reason." 

"  Chaff  away,  but  it's  principally  my  Aunt 
Matilda." 


io  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  The  Bishop,  I  remember,  is  a  widower." 

"  Rather.     My  aunt  keeps  house  for  him." 

"  Ah,  these  aunts!  "  exclaimed  the  journal 
ist.  "  They  make  no  end  of  trouble — and 
copy." 

"  It's  not  so  bad  as  that,"  said  Cecil;  "  but 
she  rules  the  governor  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and 
she  kicked  up  such  a  row  about  my  book  that 
I  dropped  the  whole  show." 

"  Don't  correspond  with  'em?  " 

"  Not  on  my  side.  I  receive  occasional  ser 
mons  from  Blanford." 

"  Which  remain  unanswered?  " 

Cecil  nodded,  and  changed  the  subject. 

"  You  know  my  father's  cathedral? "  he 
asked. 

"  Oh,  yes.  The  verger  prevented  my  chip 
ping  off  a  bit  of  the  high  altar  as  a  memento 
the  last  time  I  was  over.  You  English  are  so 
beastly  conservative.  Not  that  the  Bishop 
had  anything  to  do  with  it." 

Banborough  laughed,  and  returned  to  the 
charge. 

"  So  I  came  abroad,"  he  continued,  "  and 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  ACHIEVES  FAME.       n 

approached  the  most  respectable  and  conserv 
ative  firm  of  publishers  I  could  find  in  New 
York." 

"  Was  that  out  of  consideration  for  the 
Bishop?  " 

"  I  thought  it  might  sweeten  the  pill.  But 
somehow  the  book  doesn't  sell." 

"  Advertising,  my  boy — that's  the  word." 

"  The  traditions  of  the  firm  forbid  it,"  ob 
jected  Banborough. 

"  Traditions!  What's  any  country  less  than 
a  thousand  years  old  got  to  do  with  tradi 
tions?  "  spluttered  Marchmont.  "  I  knew  a 
Chicago  author  who  got  a  divorce  every  time 
he  produced  a  new  novel.  They  sold  like  hot 
cakes." 

"  And  the  wives?  " 

"  Received  ten  per  cent,  of  the  profits  as  ali 
mony." 

"  Talk  sense,  and  say  something  scandalous 
about  me  in  the  Leader.  What  possessed 
you,  anyway,  to  join  such  a  disgraceful 
sheet?  " 


12  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  If  I'd  an  entailed  estate  and  an  hereditary 
bishopric,  I  wouldn't.  As  it  is,  it  pays." 

"  The  bishopric  isn't  hereditary,"  said  Ce 
cil.  "  I  wish  it  were.  Then  I  might  have  a 
chance  of  spending  my  life  in  the  odour  of 
sanctity  and  idleness,  and  the  entail  is — a 
dream." 

"  So  you  write  novels,"  retorted  March- 
mont,  "  that  are  neither  indecent  nor  political, 
and  expect  'em  to  succeed.  Callow  youth! 
Well,  I  must  be  off  to  the  office.  I've  some 
copy  up  my  sleeve,  and  if  it's  a  go  it'll  give 
your  book  the  biggest  boom  a  novel  ever 
had." 

"Are  you  speaking  the  truth?"  said  the 
Englishman.  "  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  forgot 
it  was  out  of  professional  hours." 

"  Wait  and  see,"  replied  the  journalist,  as 
he  strolled  out  of  the  club. 

5(<  *  *  *  * 

"  Hi,  Marchmont,  I've  got  a  detail  for  you! " 
called  the  editor,  making  the  last  correction 
on  a  belated  form  and  attempting  to  revivify 
a  cigar  that  had  long  gone  out. 


CECIL  BAN  BOROUGH  ACHIEVES  FAME,       13 

"  Yes?  "  queried  Marchmont,  slipping  off 
his  coat  and  slipping  on  a  pair  of  straw  cuffs, 
which  was  the  chief  reason  why  he  always 
sported  immaculate  linen. 

"  We're  on  the  track  of  a  big  thing.  Per 
haps  you  don't  know  that  the  President  has 
delivered  an  ultimatum,  and  that  our  Minister 
at  Madrid  has  received  his  passports?  " 

"  Saw  it  on  the  bulletin-board  as  I  came  in," 
said  his  subordinate  laconically. 

"  Well,  it's  a  foregone  conclusion  that  the 
Spanish  Legation  will  establish  a  secret  service 
in  this  country,  and  the  paper  that  shows  it  up 
will  achieve  the  biggest  scoop  on  record." 

"  Naturally.    But  what  then?  " 

"  Why,  I  give  the  detail  to  you.  You  don't 
seem  to  appreciate  the  situation,  man.  It's 
the  chance  of  a  lifetime." 

"  Quite  so,"  replied  Marchmont,  lighting  a 
cigarette. 

"  But  you  can't  lose  a  minute." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  can — two  or  three.  Time  for  a 
smoke,  and  then  I'll  write  you  a  first-column 


14  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

article  that'll  call  for  the  biggest  caps  you  have 
in  stock." 

"  But  I —  What  the —  Say,  you  know 
something!  " 

"  I  know  that  the  secret  service  has  been 
organised,  I  know  the  organisers,  and  I  know 
the  password." 

Here  Marchmont's  chief  became  unquot 
able,  lapsing  into  unlimited  profanity  from 
sheer  joy  and  exultation. 

"  I'll  give  you  a  rise  if  you  pull  this  off!  "  he 
exclaimed,  after  hearing  the  recital  of  the 
events  at  the  club.  "  May  I  be  " — several 
things — "  if  I  don't!  Now  what  are  you  going 
to  do  about  it?  " 

"  Suppose  we  inform  the  nearest  police  sta 
tion,  have  the  crowd  arrested,  and  take  all  the 
glory  ourselves." 

"  Suppose  we  shut  up  shop  and  take  a  holi 
day,"  suggested  the  chief,  with  a  wealth  of 
scorn. 

"  Well,  what  have  you  to  propose?  " 

"  We  must  work  the  whole  thing  through 
our  detective  agency." 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  ACHIEVES  FAME.       15 

"  But  we  haven't  a  detective  agency,"  ob 
jected  Marchmont. 

"  But  we  will  have  before  sunset,"  said  the 
chief.  "  There's  O'Brien—" 

"  Yes.  Chucked  from  Pinkerton's  force  for 
habitual  drunkenness,"  interjected  his  sub 
ordinate. 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  editor,  "  and  anxious  to 
get  a  job  in  consequence.  He'll  be  only  too 
glad  to  run  the  whole  show  for  us.  The  city 
shall  be  watched,  and  the  first  time  '  The  Pur 
ple  Kangaroo  '  is  used  in  a  suspicious  sense 
we'll  arrest  the  offenders,  discover  the  plot, 
and  the  Daily  Leader,  as  the  defender  of  the 
nation  and  the  people's  bulwark,  will  increase 
its  circulation  a  hundred  thousand  copies! 
It  makes  me  dizzy  to  think  of  it!  I  tell  you 
what  it  is,  Marchmont,  that  subeditorship  is 
still  vacant,  and  if  you  put  this  through,  the 
place  is  yours." 

The  reporter  grasped  his  chiefs  hand. 

"  That's  white  of  you,  boss,"  he  said,  "  and 
I'll  do  it  no  matter  what  it  costs  or  who  gets 
hurt  in  the  process." 


1 6  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Right  you  are!"  cried  his  employer.  "The 
man  who  edits  this  paper  has  got  to  hustle. 
Now  don't  let  the  grass  grow  under  your  feet, 
and  we'll  have  a  drink  to  celebrate." 

When  the  chief  offers  to  set  up  a  sub  it 
means  business,  and  Marchmont  was  elated 

accordingly. 

^  *  *  *  * 

At  the  Club  the  Bishop's  son  still  con 
templated  the  Avenue  from  the  vantage-point 
of  the  most  comfortable  armchair  the  room 
possessed.  Praise,  he  reflected,  which  was  not 
intended  for  the  author's  ear  was  praise  in 
deed.  No  man  could  tell  to  what  it  might 
lead.  No  one  indeed,  Cecil  Banborough  least 
of  all,  though  he  was  destined  to  find  out 
before  he  was  many  hours  older;  for  down  in 
the  editorial  sanctum  of  the  Daily  Leader 
O'Brien  was  being  instructed: 

"  And  if  you  touch  a  drop  during  the  next 
week,"  reiterated  the  chief,  "  I'll  put  a  head 
on  you! " 

"  But  supposin'  this  dago  conspiracy  should 
turn  out  to  be  a  fake?  "  objected  the  Irishman. 


CECIL  BAN  BOROUGH  ACHIEVES  FAME.       17 

"  Then,"  said  the  reporter  with  determina 
tion,  "  you'll  have  to  hatch  one  yourself,  and 
I'll  discover  it.  But  two  things  are  certain. 
Something's  got  to  be  exposed,  and  I've  got 
to  get  that  editorship." 


CHAPTER    II. 

IN   WHICH    CECIL    BANBOROUGH    ATTEMPTS    TO 
DRIVE    PUBLIC    OPINION. 

IT  is  a  trifle  chilly  in  the  early  morning,  even 
by  the  first  of  May,  and  Cecil  shivered  slightly 
as  he  paced  the  rustic  platform  at  Meadow- 
brook  with  his  publisher  and  host  of  the  night 
before. 

"  You  see,"  the  great  man  was  saying, 
"  there's  an  etiquette  about  all  these  things. 
We  can't  advertise  our  publications  in  the  ele 
vated  trains  like  tomato  catsup  or  the  latest 
thing  in  corsets.  It's  not  dignified.  The 
book  must  succeed,  if  at  all,  through  the 
recognised  channels  of  criticism  and  on  its 
own  merits.  Of  course  it's  a  bad  season.  But 
once  the  war's  well  under  way,  people  will  give 
up  newspapers  and  return  to  literature." 

"  Meantime  it  wants  a  boom,"  contended 

18 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.   19 

the  young  Englishman,  with  an  insistence  that 
apparently  jarred  on  his  hearer,  who  an 
swered  shortly: 

"  And  that,  Mr.  Banborough,  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  give  your  book,  or  any  other  man's." 

There  was  an  element  of  finality  about  this 
remark  which  seemed  to  preclude  further  con 
versation,  and  Cecil  took  refuge  in  the  morn 
ing  paper  till  the  train  pulled  into  the  Grand 
Central  Station,  when  the  two  men  shook 
hands  and  parted  hurriedly,  the  host  on  his 
daily  rush  to  the  office,  the  guest  to  saunter 
slowly  up  the  long  platform,  turning  over  in 
his  mind  the  problems  suggested  by  his  re 
cent  conversation.  • 

The  busy  life  of  the  great  terminus  grated 
upon  him,  and  that  is  perhaps  the  reason  why 
his  eye  rested  with  a  sense  of  relief  on  a  little 
group  of  people  who,  like  himself,  seemed  to 
have  nothing  particular  to  do.  They  were  six 
in  number,  two  ladies  and  four  gentlemen,  and 
stood  quietly  discussing  some  interesting 
problem,  apparently  unconscious  of  the  hur 
rying  crowds  which  were  surging  about  them. 


20  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOP4RD. 

Cecil  approached  them  slowly,  and  was 
about  to  pass  on  when  his  attention  and  foot 
steps  were  suddenly  arrested  by  hearing  the 
younger  of  the  two  ladies  remark  in  a  plain 
tive  voice: 

"  But  that  doesn't  help  us  to  get  any  break 
fast,  Alvy." 

"  No,  or  dinner  either,"  added  the  elder 
lady. 

"  Well,"  rejoined  the  gentleman  addressed 
as  "  Alvy,"  who,  in  contrast  to  the  frock  coats 
and  smart  tailor-made  gowns  of  his  three  com 
panions,  wore  an  outing  suit,  a  short  overcoat 
of  box-cloth,  a  light,  soft  hat,  and  a  rather 
pronounced  four-in-hand  tie.  "  Well,  I'm 
hungry  myself,  as  far  as  that  goes." 

Banborough  was  astonished.  These  fash 
ionably  dressed  people  in  need  of  a  meal?  Im 
possible!  And  yet — he  turned  to  look  at  them 
again.  No,  they  were  not  quite  gentlefolk. 
There  was  something —  He  stumbled  and 
nearly  fell  over  a  dress-suit  case,  evidently  be 
longing  to  one  of  the  party,  and  marked  in 


CECIL  BAN  BOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.   21 

large  letters,  "  H.  Tybalt  Smith.  A.  B.  C. 
Company." 

Actors,  of  course.  That  explained  the  situ 
ation — and  the  clothes.  Another  company 
gone  to  pieces,  and  its  members  landed  penni 
less  and  in  their  costumes.  It  was  too  bad, 
and  the  young  woman  was  so  very  good- 
looking.  If  only  he  had  some  legitimate  ex 
cuse  for  going  to  their  assistance. 

Suddenly  he  stood  motionless,  petrified.  An 
idea  had  occurred  to  him,  the  boldness  and 
originality  of  which  fairly  took  his  breath  away. 
"  The  Purple  Kangaroo "  wanted  adver 
tising,  and  his  publishers  refused  to  help  him. 
Well,  why  should  he  not  advertise  it  himself  ? 
To  think  was  to  act.  Already  the  company 
were  starting  in  a  listless,  dispirited  way 
towards  the  door.  The  Englishman  sum 
moned  all  his  resolution  to  his  aid,  and,  over 
coming  his  insular  reticence,  approached  the 
leader  of  the  party,  asking  if  he  were  Mr. 
Smith. 

"  H.  Tybalt  Smith,  at  your  service,  sir,"  re 
plied  that  portly  and  imposing  individual. 


22  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Cecil  Banborough  bowed  low. 

"  I  hope  you'll  not  think  me  intrusive,"  he 
said,  "  but  I  judge  that  you're  not  now  en 
gaged,  and  as  I'm  at  present  in  want  of  the 
services  of  a  first-class  theatrical  company,  I 
ventured  to  address  you." 

"  The  manager  skipped  last  evening,"  re 
marked  the  man  in  mufti. 

"  Alvy,"  corrected  Mr.  Smith,  "  I  will  con 
duct  these  negotiations.  As  Mr.  Spotts  says, 
sir,"  he  continued,  indicating  the  last  speaker, 
"  with  a  colloquialism  that  is  his  distinguish 
ing  characteristic,  our  manager  is  not  forth 
coming,  and — a — er — temporary  embarrass 
ment  has  resulted,  so  that  we  should  gladly 
accept  the  engagement  you  offer,  provided  it 
is  not  inconsistent  with  the  demands  of  art." 

"  Oh,  cut  it  short,  Tyb,"  again  interrupted 
the  ingenuous  Spotts. 

Mr.  Smith  cast  a  crushing  glance  at  the 
youth,  and,  laying  one  hand  across  his  ample 
chest,  prepared  to  launch  a  withering  denun 
ciation  at  him,  when  Cecil  came  to  the  rescue. 

"  I  was  about  to  suggest,"  he  said,  "  that  if 


CECIL  BAN  BOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.   23 

you've  not  yet  breakfasted  you  would  all  do 
so  with  me,  and  we  can  then  discuss  this  mat 
ter  at  length." 

Mr.  Smith's  denunciation  died  upon  his 
lips,  and  a  smile  of  ineffable  contentment 
lighted  up  his  face. 

"  Sir,"  he  said,  "  we  are  obliged — vastly 
obliged.  I  speak  collectively."  And  he 
waved  one  flabby  hand  towards  his  compan 
ions.  "  I  have  not,  however,  the  honour  of 
knowing  your  name." 

Cecil  handed  him  his  card. 

"  Ah,  thanks.  Mr.  Banborough.  Exactly. 
Permit  me  to  introduce  myself:  H.  Tybalt 
Smith,  Esq.,  tragedian  of  the  A.  B.  C.  Com 
pany.  My  companions  are  Mr.  Kerrington, 
the  heavy  villain;  Mr.  Mill,  the  leading  serious. 
Our  juvenile,  Mr.  G.  Alvarado  Spotts,  has 
already  sufficiently  introduced  himself.  The 
ladies  are  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  our  senior  legiti 
mate,"  indicating  the  elder  of  the  two,  who 
smilingly  acknowledged  the  introduction  in 
such  a  good-natured,  hearty  manner  that  for 
the  moment  her  plain,  almost  rugged  New 


24  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

England  countenance  was  lighted  up  and  she 
became  nearly  handsome.  "  And,"  continued 
Mr.  Smith,  "  our  leading  lady,  the  Leopard — 
I  mean  Miss  Violet  Arminster,"  pointing  to 
the  bewitching  young  person  in  the  tailor- 
made  gown. 

Each  of  the  members  bowed  as  his  or  her 
name  was  spoken,  and  the  tragedian  con 
tinued: 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  A.  B.  C. 
Company,  I  have  much  pleasure  in  introduc 
ing  to  you — my  friend — Mr.  Cecil  Banbor- 
ough,  who  has  kindly  invited  you  to  break 
fast  at — the  Murray  Hill?  Shall  we  say  the 
Murray  Hill?  Yes." 

The  ensuing  hour  having  been  given  up  to 
the  serious  pursuit  of  satisfying  healthy  ap 
petites,  the  members  of  the  A.  B.  C.  Com 
pany  heaved  sighs  of  pleasurable  repletion, 
and  prepared  to  listen  to  their  host's  proposi 
tion  in  a  highly  optimistic  mood.  Banbor- 
ough,  who  had  already  sufficiently  break 
fasted,  employed  the  interval  of  the  meal  in 
talking  to  Miss  Arminster  and  in  studying  his 


CECIL  B/tN BOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.   25 

guests.  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  who  seemed  to 
take  a  motherly  interest  in  the  charming  Vio 
let,  and  whose  honest  frankness  had  appealed 
to  him  from  the  first,  appeared  to  be  the  good 
genius  of  the  little  company.  As  he  came  to 
know  her  better  during  the  next  few  days, 
under  the  sharp  spur  of  adversity,  he  realised 
more  and  more  how  much  goodness  and 
strength  of  character  lay  hidden  under  the 
rough  exterior  and  the  sharp  tongue,  and  his 
liking  changed  into  an  honest  admiration. 
Mr.  Smith  was  ponderous  and  egotistical  to 
the  last  degree,  while  Spotts  seemed  hail- 
fellow-well-met,  the  jolliest,  brightest,  most 
good-looking  and  resourceful  youth  that  Cecil 
had  met  for  many  a  long  day.  The  other  two 
men  were  the  most  reserved  of  the  company, 
saying  little,  and  devoting  themselves  to  their 
meal.  But  it  was  to  Miss  Arminster  that  he 
found  himself  especially  attracted.  From  the 
first  moment  that  he  saw  her  she  had  exer 
cised  a  fascination  over  him,  and  even  his 
desire  for  the  success  of  his  book  gave  way  to 
his  anxiety  for  her  comfort  and  happiness. 


26  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

She  was  by  no  means  difficult  to  approach; 
they  soon  were  chatting  gaily  together,  and 
by  the  time  the  repast  was  finished  were  quite 
on  the  footing  of  old  friends — so  much  so,  in 
deed,  that  Cecil  ventured  to  ask  her  a  question 
which  had  been  uppermost  in  his  mind  for 
some  time. 

"  Why  did  Mr.  Smith  call  you  the  Leopard 
when  he  introduced  you  to  me  at  the  station?" 
he  said. 

"  Oh,"  she  answered,  laughing,  "  that's  gen 
erally  the  last  bit  of  information  my  friends  get 
about  me.  It  has  terminated  my  acquaintance 
with  a  lot  of  gentlemen.  Do  you  think  you'd 
better  ask  it,  just  when  we  are  beginning  to 
know  one  another?  " 

"  Are  you  another  Lohengrin,"  he  said, 
"  and  will  a  white  swan  come  and  carry  you 
off  as  soon  as  you've  told  me?  " 

"  More  probably  a  cable-car,"  she  replied, 
"seeing  we're  in  New  York." 

"  Then  I  shall  defer  the  evil  day  as  long  as 
possible,"  he  answered. 

"  You  seem  to  forget,"  she  returned,  "  that 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.   27 

I  don't  know  as  yet  what  our  business  rela 
tions  are  to  be." 

"  And  you  seem  to  forget,"  he  replied, 
"  that  there  are  still  some  strawberries  left  on 
that  dish." 

She  sighed  regretfully,  saying: 

"  I'm  afraid  they  must  go  till  next  time — 
if  there's  to  be  a  next  time." 

Banborough  vowed  to  himself  that  instead 
of  confining  the  advertisement  of  his  book  to 
the  city  alone,  he  would  extend  it  to  Harlem 
and  Brooklyn — yes,  and  to  all  New  York 
State,  if  need  be,  rather  than  forego  the  de 
light  of  her  society. 

"  Isn't  your  father  an  English  bishop? " 
continued  Miss  Arminster,  interrupting  his 
reverie. 

"  Now  how  on  earth  did  you  know  that?  " 
exclaimed  Cecil. 

The  little  actress  laughed. 

"  Oh,  I  know  a  lot  of  things,"  she  said. 
"But  I  was  merely  going  to  suggest  that  we 
call  you  '  Bishop  '  for  short.  Banborough's 
much  too  long  a  name  for  ordinary  use.  What 


28  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

do  you  say,  boys?  "  turning  to  the  men  of  the 
company. 

A  chorus  of  acclamation  greeted  this  sally, 
and  to  the  members  of  the  A.  B.  C.  Company 
Cecil  Banborough  was  '  the  Bishop  '  from  that 
hour. 

"  And  now,"  said  the  Englishman,  "  that 
you've  christened  me,  suppose  we  come  to  the 
business  in  hand?  " 

Every    one    was    at    once    intently    silent. 

"  I  am,"  he  continued,  "  the  author  of  '  The 
Purple  Kangaroo.'  ' 

The  silence  became  deeper.  The  audience 
were  politely  impressed,  and  the  heavy  villain 
did  a  bit  of  dumb  show  with  the  leading  seri 
ous,  which  only  needed  to  have  been  a  trifle 
better  to  have  proved  convincing. 

"  Yet,"  continued  the  author,  "  owing  to 
the  popular  interest  in  an  imminent  war  and 
a  lack  of  energy  on  the  part  of  my  publishers, 
the  book  doesn't  sell." 

"  Impossible!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Smith.  "Im 
possible!  Why,  I  was  saying  only  the  other 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.   29 

day  to  Henry  Irving,  '  Hen,'  I  said — I  call 
him  '  Hen  '  for  short, — '  that  book — '  " 

"  What  you  say  doesn't  cut  any  ice,"  broke 
in  Spotts.  "  What  were  you  saying,  sir?  " 

"  I  was  about  to  remark,"  continued  Ban- 
borough,  "  that  what  the  novel  needs  is  ad 
vertising.  For  an  author  to  make  the  round 
of  the  shops  is  so  old  an  artifice  that  any 
tradesman  would  see  through  it." 

"  It  is,"  interjected  the  tragedian.  "  I  have 
more  than  once  demanded  the  lower  right- 
hand  box  when  I  was  playing  the  leading 
role." 

"And  always  got  it,"  added  Spotts.  The 
silence  was  appalling,  and  Cecil  rushed  into 
the  breach,  saying: 

"  It's  occurred  to  me,  however,  that  if  a 
number  of  people,  apparently  in  different 
walks  of  life,  were  to  call  at  the  various  book 
shops  and  department  stores  of  the  city,  de 
manding  copies  of  '  The  Purple  Kangaroo/ 
and  refusing  to  be  satisfied  with  excuses,  it 
might  create  a  market  for  the  book." 

"A  first-rate  idea!"  cried  Spotts  heartily. 


30  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  But  supposing  it  was  in  stock?  "  suggest 
ed  the  more  cautious  duenna. 

"  I  shall  of  course  see  you're  provided  with 
funds  for  such  an  emergency,"  the  author 
hastened  to  add;  "and  if  you  ladies  and 
gentlemen  feel  that  you  could  canvass  the  city 
thoroughly  in  my  interests  at — ten  dollars  a 
day  and  car-fares?  "  he  ventured,  fearing  he 
had  offered  too  little. 

"  I  should  rather  think  we  do,"  said  Spotts 
emphatically.  "  Ten  dollars  a  day  and  car 
fares  is  downright  luxury  compared  with  one- 
night  stands  and  a  salary  that  doesn't  get 
paid.  You're  a  might  good  fellow,  Mr.  Ban- 
borough,"  continued  the  young  actor,  "and 
Violet  and  I  and  the  rest  of  the  company  will 
do  our  best  to  make  your  book  a  howling  suc 
cess."  And  as  he  spoke  he  laid  his  hand  famil 
iarly  on  the  little  actress's  shoulder,  an  action 
which  did  not  altogether  please  Cecil,  and 
made  him  realise  that  in  the  attractive  young 
comedian  he  had  found  a  strong  rival  for  Miss 
Arminster's  favour. 

"Well,  then,  we'll  consider  it  settled,"  he 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.  31 

said;  whereat  the  company  arose  and  clasped 
his  hands  silently.  Their  satisfaction  was  too 
deep  for  words.  Spotts  was  the  first  to  rouse 
himself  to  action. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  "  we  mustn't  lose  any 
time.  Your  interests  are  ours  now,  Mr.  Ban- 
borough,  and  the  sooner  we  get  to  work  the 
more  thoroughly  we'll  earn  our  salary,"  and 
touching  a  bell,  he  said  to  the  answering  mes 
senger: 

"  Bring  me  a  New  York  directory,"  thereby 
showing  an  honest  activity  which  was  much 
appreciated  by  his  employer. 

An  hour  later,  the  company,  fully  primed, 
departed  joyfully  on  their  mission. 

Banborough,  rich  in  the  comforting  sense 
of  a  good  morning's  work  well  accomplished, 
retired  to  his  club  to  dream  of  the  success  of 
his  book.  In  spirit  he  visited  the  book-stalls, 
noting  the  growing  concern  of  the  clerks  as 
they  were  obliged  to  turn  away  customer  after 
customer  who  clamoured  for  "  The  Purple 
Kangaroo."  He  saw  the  hurried  consultations 
with  the  heads  of  firms,  who  at  length  realised 


32  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

their  blind  stupidity  in  neglecting  to  stock 
their  shelves  with  the  success  of  the  season. 
He  saw  the  dozens  of  orders  which  poured 
into  the  publishing  house,  and  heard  in  fancy 
that  sweetest  of  all  announcements  that  can 
fall  upon  an  author's  ears:  "  My  dear  sir,  we 
have  just  achieved  another  edition." 

So  dreaming,  he  was  rudely  awakened  by  a 
slap  on  the  shoulder,  and  the  cheerful  voice  of 
Marchmont,  saying: 

"  Who's  asleep  this  time?  " 

"  Not  I,"  replied  his  friend,  "  only  dream 
ing." 

"  Of  the  success  of  '  The  Purple  Kanga 
roo  '  ?  "  asked  the  journalist.  "  Well,  you'll 
have  it,  old  man — see  if  you  don't — and  live 
to  bless  the  name  of  Marchmont  and  the 
Daily  Leader.  Why,  thousands  will  be  reading 
your  book  before  the  week's  out." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  gasped  the  English 
man.  "  Surely  you  don't  know — ?  "  For  he 
feared  the  discovery  of  his  little  plot. 

"  Know!  "  replied  the  journalist.  "  I  know 
that  your  book  has  leaped  at  one  bound  from 


CECIL  BANBOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.   33 

fiction  to  the  exalted  sphere  of  politics.  Now 
don't  you  breathe  a  word  of  this,  for  it's  pro 
fessional,  but  the  Spanish  secret-service  agents 
have  taken  the  title  of  your  novel  as  their  pass 
word.  The  city  is  watched  by  our  own  special 
corps  of  detectives,  and  the  instant  '  The  Pur 
ple  Kangaroo  '  is  used  in  a  suspicious  sense 
we  arrest  the  spies  and  unravel  the  plot." 

"  But,  good  heavens,  man!  You  don't  un 
derstand — "  began  Banborough. 

"  I  understand  it  all.  I  tell  you  the  Daily 
Leader  will  not  shrink  from  its  duty.  It'll 
leave  no  stone  unturned  to  hound  the  offend 
ers  down.  I  dare  say  they  may  be  making  ar 
rests  even  now,  and  once  started,  we'll  never 
pause  till  every  Spanish  sympathiser  who  has 
knowledge  of  the  plot  is  under  lock  and 
key." 

"  Stop!  Stop!  "  cried  Cecil.  "  You  don't 
know  what  you're  doing!  " 

"  Oh,  trust  me  for  that,  and  think  of  the 
boom  your  book'll  get.  I'll  make  it  my  special 
care.  I  tell  you  '  The  Purple  Kangaroo  '  will 
be  all  the  rage." 


34  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  But  you're  making  a  ghastly  mistake,"  in 
sisted  the  author.  "  You  must  listen  to  me — " 

"Can't!"  cried  Marchmont,  springing  up 
as  the  sound  of  shouts  and  clanging  bells  fell 
upon  his  ear.  "There's  a  fire!  See  you 
later!  "  and  he  dashed  out  of  the  club  and  was 
gone. 

Cecil  sank  back  in  his  chair  fairly  paralysed. 

"  Good  heavens!  Suppose  any  of  the  com 
pany  should  be  suspected  or  arrested!  Sup 
posing — " 

"  A  gentleman  to  see  you,  sir,"  said  a  page 
at  his  elbow. 

"  Show  him  in!  "  cried  Banborough,  fearing 
the  worst,  as  he  read  Tybalt  Smith's  name  on 
the  card. 

There  was  no  need  to  have  given  the  mes 
sage.  The  actor  was  at  the  page's  heels,  di 
shevelled,  distraught. 

"  Do  you  know  we're  taken  for  Spanish 
spies?  "  he  gasped. 

"Yes,  yes;   I've  just  heard — " 

"  But  they've  arrested — " 


CECIL  BAN  BOROUGH  AND  PUBLIC  OPINION.  35 

"  Not  one  of  your  companions — Spotts, 
Kerrington,  or  Mill?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  tragedian,  shaking  his  head, 
"  they've  arrested  Miss  Arminster." 


CHAPTER    III. 

IN    WHICH    CECIL    BANBOROUGH    DRIVES    A 
BLACK    MARIA. 

CECIL  BANBOROUGH'S  feelings  can  be  better 
imagined  than  described  at  the  announcement 
of  the  calamity  which  had  befallen  Miss  Ar- 
minster.  The  winsome  ways  of  the  charming 
Violet  had  impressed  the  young  man  more 
deeply  than  he  knew  until  he  was  brought  face 
to  face  with  a  realisation  of  the  miseries  to 
which  his  own  folly  had  exposed  her. 

"  Where  have  they  taken  her?  "  he  demand 
ed  of  Smith  as  soon  as  his  consternation  could 
find  expression. 

"  She's  at  the  police  station  round  the  cor 
ner  from  here." 

"  Where  did  this  occur?  "  asked  Banbor- 
ough. 

"On   Fourteenth   Street,"   replied   Smith. 

36 


CECIL  DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA.  37 

"  Spotts  and  I  met  Miss  Arminster,  and  she 
called  out  as  she  passed  me,  '  Don't  forget 
"The  Purple  Kangaroo! "  '  A  minute  later  the 
police  arrested  her,  and  when  the  crowd  heard 
that  she  was  a  Spanish  spy,  I  swear  I  think 
they'd  have  torn  her  in  pieces  if  the  officers 
hadn't  put  her  in  a  prison  van  and  got  her 
away." 

The  tragedian  paused,  shivering  from  his 
recent  agitation,  and  Cecil,  seeing  his  condi 
tion,  rang  for  some  brandy. 

"But  what  does  it  all  mean?"  asked  the 
actor,  tossing  off  his  drink. 

"  I  know  what  it  means,"  cried  Banbor- 
ough,  "  but  there's  no  time  to  talk  now. 
We've  not  a  moment  to  lose!  "  and  he  rushed 
downstairs. 

Spotts  met  them  at  the  doorway,  and,  as 
they  walked  rapidly  along,  the  young  English 
man  poured  into  his  companions'  ears  an  ac 
count  of  what  he  had  learned  from  March- 
mont  of  the  Spanish  plot  and  the  unforeseen 
use  which  had  been  made  of  the  title  of  his 
book,  while  the  tragedian  rehearsed  again  the 


38  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

story  of  Miss  Arminster's  arrest,  of  his  own 
hair-breadth  escape  from  the  clutches  of  the 
law,  of  his  prodigies  of  valour  in  connection 
with  Spotts,  whom  he  had  met  in  his  headlong 
flight,  and  who,  it  seemed,  had  prevailed  on 
his  more  timid  companion  to  follow  the 
prisoner  in  a  hansom. 

"  It's  a  bad  business,"  admitted  Cecil;  "  but 
what's  to  be  done?  " 

"  Done!  "  exclaimed  Smith  in  tragic  tones. 
"  Why,  rescue  the  lady  instantly  and  leave  the 
city  without  delay.  In  the  present  excited 
state  of  the  public  no  amount  of  explanation 
will  avail.  We  may  all  be  arrested  as  confed 
erates.  We  must  act!  " 

"  You're  talking  sense  for  once,"  said 
Spotts.  "  Heroic  measures  are  the  only  ones 
worth  considering,  and  if  you  " — turning  to 
Banborough — "  will  stand  by  us,  we  may 
come  out  on  top  after  all." 

'  You  can  depend  on  me  to  any  extent," 
declared  the  young  author.  "  I've  got  you 
into  this  scrape,  and  I'll  do  my  best  to  get  you 
out  of  it." 


CECIL  DRIYES  A  BLACK  MARIA.  39 

"  That's  just  what  I  expected  of  you, 
Bishop!  "  exclaimed  Spotts,  grasping  his  hand. 
"  We  can't  waste  time  in  talking.  You  must 
go  and  find  the  other  members  of  the  com 
pany,  Tyb,  and  warn  them  of  their  danger. 
Now  where  can  we  rendezvous  outside  the 
city?  Speak  quickly,  some  one!  " 

"  The  leading  hotel  in  Yonkers,"  said 
Smith. 

"  Right  you  are,"  replied  Spotts.  "  Get 
there  as  soon  as  possible  and  wait  for  us  to 
turn  up.  How  about  funds?  " 

"  I've  plenty  of  ready  money  with  me,"  vol 
unteered  Cecil,  "  and  very  fortunately  a  draft 
to  my  credit  arrived  to-day,  which  I've  not  yet 
cashed." 

"Good!"  said  Spotts.  "We're  in  luck. 
Give  Tyb  fifty." 

Banborough  whipped  out  a  roll  of  bills  and 
handed  the  desired  amount  to  the  tragedian 
without  demur. 

"  Now,  off  you  go,"  cried  his  brother  actor, 
"  and  keep  your  wits  about  you." 

Smith  nodded  and  hailed  a  passing  cab. 


4<>  HIS  LORDSHIP  S  LEOPARD. 

"  Come,"  said  Spotts  to  the  author,  "  we've 
no  time  to  lose." 

"What's  your  plan?"  asked  Cecil  as  they 
swung  round  the  corner  and  sighted  the  police 
station. 

"  Haven't  got  any  as  yet.  We'll  see  how 
the  land  lies  first.  The  Black  Maria's  still 
before  the  door.  That's  lucky!  " 

Sure  enough,  there  it  was,  looking  gloomily 
like  an  undertaker's  wagon,  minus  the  plate 
glass. 

"Must  be  hot  inside,"  commented  the  actor, 
directing  a  glance  at  the  two  little  grated  slits 
high  up  in  the  folding  doors  at  the  back,  which 
apparently  formed  the  only  means  of  ventila 
tion. 

Cecil  shuddered  as  he  thought  of  the  dis 
comforts  which  the  girl  must  be  enduring,  and 
longed  to  throw  himself  upon  the  vehicle  and 
batter  it  to  pieces.  But  calmer  judgment  pre 
vailed,  and  controlling  himself  he  approached 
the  police  station,  saying: 

"  Let  me  go  first.     You  might  be  recog- 


CECIL  DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA.  41 

nised.  I'll  try  and  find  out  where  she's  to  be 
taken." 

He  accordingly  went  up  to  the  driver  of  the 
Black  Maria,  who,  cap  in  hand,  was  wiping 
his  perspiring  forehead. 

"  A  fine  pair  of  horses  that,"  he  said,  indi 
cating  the  mettlesome  bays  attached  to  the 
vehicle,  which,  in  spite  of  their  brisk  run,  were 
tossing  their  heads  and  fretting  to  be  off. 

"  Oh,  they're  good  enough,"  was  the  curt 
reply.  "  A  trifle  fresh,  but  we  need  that  in  our 
business." 

"  Something  interesting  on  to-day? " 
queried  Cecil. 

"  Who  the  devil  are  you,  anyway?  "  asked 
the  driver  abruptly.  And  the  Englishman, 
lying  boldly,  replied: 

"  I'm  the  new  reporter  on  the  Daily  Leader. 
I  was  here  last  week  with  Mr.  Marchmont  on 
a  burglary  case." 

"  Oh,  the  New  Rochelle  robbery,"  suggest 
ed  the  driver. 

Cecil  acquiesced,  drawing  a  quiet  sigh  of 
relief  that  his  random  shot  had  hit  the  mark. 


42  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  that's  it.    I  was  introduced 
round,  but  I  don't  remember  meeting  you." 
"  Might  have  been  the  other  driver,  Jim?  " 
"  Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  it  was  Jim." 
"  Jus'  so.    Well,  there's  copy  for  you  in  this 
case." 

"  So  I  imagined.-  It's  your  first  political  ar 
rest,  isn't  it?" 

"  That's  where  the  hitch  comes  in,"  said  the 
man.  "  I  don't  know  where  to  deliver  the 
prisoner.  When  the  court's  made  up  its 
mind  they'll  let  me  know,  and  I'll  drive  on. 
Now  in  the  Civil  WTar  we  sent  them  politicals 
to  Fort  Wadsworth." 

"  So  you  have  to  wait  till  they  decide?  " 
"  You  bet  I  have.  And  there  ain't  no 
superfluity  of  shade  on  the  sunny  side  of  this 
street  neither,"  replied  the  driver,  as  he  slipped 
off  his  coat  and  hung  it  with  his  cap  on  a  peg 
beside  the  box  seat  of  the  Black  Maria. 

"  Suppose  you  were  to  run  into  the  court 
and  see  how  they're  getting  on,"  suggested 
Banborough,  slipping  a  coin  into  his  hand. 
"  I  want  a  word  with  the  police  when  they've 


CECIL   DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA.  43 

finished.  Mention  the  Daily  Leader.  I'll 
watch  your  horses." 

"  Oh,  they'll  stand  quiet  enough,"  said  the 
man.  Then,  suspiciously,  jerking  his  thumb 
over  his  shoulder  towards  Spotts,  he  asked: 
"  Who's  yer  pal  ?  " 

"  Just  a  green  hand  whom  I'm  initiating 
into  the  business." 

"  You're  pretty  green  yourself  or  you 
wouldn't  have,  set  me  up,"  said  the  driver. 
"  But  if  you'll  mind  them  horses  I'll  just  run 
across  to  McCafferty's  saloon  and  have  a 
schooner  of  beer,  and  then  drop  into  court  for 
you." 

"  All  right,"  responded  Cecil.  "  Only  don't 
be  all  day;  I've  got  another  detail." 

"  Say,"  rejoined  the  man,  "  I  can  put  beer 
down  quicker  than  you  can  wink."  And  he 
ran  across  the  street. 

"  Well,  what's  to  be  done? ''  demanded 
Banborough,  as  the  man  left  them. 

"  That's  easily  answered,"  replied  Spotts. 
"  When  he's  in  court  we'll  jump  on  the  box, 
drive  for  all  we're  worth  till  we've  eluded  pur- 


44  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

suit,  then  rescue  Miss  Arminster  and  be  off 
to  Yonkers." 

"  But  that's  laying  ourselves  open  to  ar 
rest,"  expostulated  the  Englishman. 

"  We've  done  that  already,"  said  his  friend. 

"  But  they'll  know  we're  not  officials:  we've 
no  uniform." 

"  What,  not  when  the  driver  has  obligingly 
left  his  hat  and  coat?  "  said  Spotts.  "  Slip 
them  on.  You've  dark  trousers,  and  no  one 
will  suspect." 

"  But  driving  fast — ?  "  protested  the  au 
thor. 

"  Well,  we're  going  to  a  '  hurry  call,'  of 
course.  You've  no  invention,  man!  And  be 
sides,  I  can't  drive." 

"  Oh,  that  doesn't  matter,"  said  Banbor- 
ough.  "  I  understand  all  about  horses." 

"  So  I  supposed,  as  you're  an  English 
man." 

"  I  don't  care  much  for  this  business,  you 
know,"  remonstrated  the  unfortunate  author. 

"  Neither  do  I,"  replied  the  actor.  "  But  we 
might  as  well  be  killed  for  a  sheep  as  a  lamb, 


CECIL  DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA,  45 

and  we've  a  good  chance  of  winning.  Here 
comes  the  driver;  give  him  a  bluff." 

"  I  ain't  lost  much  time,"  panted  that  in 
dividual  as  he  passed  them,  wiping  the  foam 
from  his  moustache  with  the  back  of  his  hand, 
and  adding:  "  I'll  run  right  into  court  and  be 
out  again  in  a  jiffy!  " 

"  Stay  long  enough  to  see  how  things  are 
going,"  called  Cecil. 

"All  right!  Guess  the  horses'll  stand,"  he 
replied,  and  disappeared  within  the  building. 

"  Now,  Bishop!  "  cried  Spotts.  And  before 
the  Englishman  could  think,  his  coat  and  hat 
had  been  whipped  off  and  thrown  on  the  box 
seat  along  with  a  small  handbag  which  the 
actor  carried,  and  he  was  being  helped  into 
the  very  hot  and  unsavoury  clothes  of  the 
driver. 

"  Lucky  they  fit  you,"  said  his  friend. 
"  Lead  the  horses  carefully  to  the  corner,  and 
see  they  don't  make  more  noise  than  neces 
sary.  If  the  driver  should  come  out,  you  let 
'em  go;  otherwise  wait  for  me.  Know  where 
to  drive?  " 


46  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Along  the  park?  " 

"  No,"  said  Spotts.  "  Double  several  times, 
then  try  one  of  the  avenues  to  the  Harlem 
River.  There  are  plenty  of  bridges.  Now, 
careful!"  And  as  Cecil  moved  slowly  off, 
leading  the  horses  towards  the  upper  corner, 
the  actor  lounged  up  to  the  entrance  of  the 
court,  blocking  the  doorway  with  his  athletic 
figure. 

After  what  seemed  an  eternity,  Banborough 
achieved  the  corner  of  the  block,  and,  mount 
ing  the  box,  turned  the  horses'  heads  down 
the  side  street,  keeping  an  eagle  eye  upon  the 
entrance  of  the  court-room,  within  which  his 
companion  had  now  disappeared.  Perhaps 
three  minutes  had  elapsed  when  the  actor 
came  out,  running  quietly  towards  him  so  as 
not  to  attract  attention.  The  street  was  well- 
nigh  deserted,  and  no  one  seemed  to  have 
noticed  the  movements  of  the  Black  Maria. 

"  Walk  slowly  till  we're  round  the  corner, 
and  then  drive  for  all  you're  worth!  "  gasped 
Spotts,  springing  on  to  the  seat  beside  him. 

Cecil  followed  his  directions  implicitly,  and 


CECIL  DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA.  47 

a  moment  later  they  went  tearing  down  the 
side  street,  and  swung  round  the  corner  into 
an  avenue,  nearly  colliding  with  a  cable-car 
in  the  process,  and  causing  a  wild  scatteration 
of  passengers  and  pedestrians. 

"Here,  that  won't  do!"  cried  the  actor 
above  the  rattle  occasioned  by  their  rapid 
progress  over  the  cobblestones.  "  Ring  the 
bell,  or  we'll  be  arrested!  " 

"  Where?  "  called  Banborough. 

"  That  knob  under  your  feet.    Press  it!  " 

The  Englishman  did  as  directed,  and  in 
stantly  the  most  hideous  clamour  arose  be 
neath  the  carriage.  The  horses,  which  had 
been  flying  before,  excited  by  the  noise,  put 
down  their  heads  and  tore  blindly  forward. 
The  vehicle  rocked  and  swayed,  and  the  ave 
nue  and  its  occupants  swept  by  in  an  indis 
tinguishable  blur. 

"They'll  surely  track  us  by  the  noise!" 
screamed  Cecil,  trying  to  make  himself  heard 
above  the  horrible  din. 

"  We're  too  far  off  by  this  time,"  returned 
Spotts.  "  Can  you  manage  the  horses?  " 


48  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Oh,  they're  all  right  so  long  as  we've  a 
clear  road!  "  yelled  Banborough  in  reply. 

They  were  now  well  under  way,  the  traffic 
ahead  of  them  swerving  wildly  to  right  and 
left  at  the  insistent  clamour  of  the  bell.  They 
rushed  forward  by  leaps  and  bounds,  an  oc 
casional  stretch  of  asphalt  giving  them  an 
instant's  respite  from  the  dreadful  shaking  of 
the  cobblestones.  They  spoke  but  little,  ex 
citement  keeping  them  quiet,  but  the  English 
man  suffered  keenly  in  spirit  at  the  thought  of 
what  the  delicate  girl,  shut  up  in  that  dark 
stifling  prison  behind  them,  must  be  under 
going. 

Suddenly  in  front  of  them  loomed  up  the 
helmeted  figure  of  a  policeman,  swinging  his 
club  and  gesticulating  wildly. 

"Run  him  down!"  howled  Spotts;  and 
Cecil,  who  had  caught  some  of  the  madness  of 
their  wild  flight,  lashed  the  horses  afresh  and 
hurled  the  Black  Maria  straight  at  the  officer 
of  the  law. 

The  constable,  still  gesticulating,  made  a 
hasty  leap  to  one  side,  and  they  swept  by  a 


CECIL  DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA.  49 

huge  express-wagon  which  was  coming  up  the 
cross-street,  nearly  grazing  the  noses  of  the 
rearing  horses,  and  catching  a  glimpse  of  the 
driver's  startled  face. 

So  they  ran  on  and  on,  faster  and  faster  as 
the  traffic  became  less,  and  the  pair  of  bays 
settled  down  in  earnest  to  the  race.  Suddenly 
the  street  narrowed,  and  a  confused  mass  of 
carts  and  horses  seemed  to  block  up  the 
farther  end.  Banborough  put  on  the  brake, 
and  with  considerable  difficulty  succeeded  in 
bringing  his  team  to  a  standstill  on  the  outer 
edge  of  the  throng. 

"  It's  the  Harlem  River,"  cried  Spotts,  "  and 
the  drawbridge  is  up,  curse  the  luck!  " 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  wait,  and  Cecil, 
jumping  down,  patted  the  horses  and  exam 
ined  the  harness  to  make  sure  that  everything 
was  all  right. 

"  You  seem  in  a  rush,"  said  a  neighbouring 
driver. 

"  Hurry  call  to  Harlem,"  replied  Banbor 
ough  brusquely. 

"  Whereabouts?  " 


5°  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Oh,  police  station." 

"  What  station?" 

The  Englishman  grunted  an  inaudible  re 
ply  as  a  forward  movement  of  the  crowd  be 
tokened  that  the  bridge  was  again  in  posi 
tion.  A  moment  later  they  were  trotting 
towards  freedom  and  the  open  country,  Cecil 
making  the  horses  go  slower  now,  wishing  to 
reserve  their  strength  for  any  unforeseen 
emergency. 

As  the  buildings  grew  more  scattered,  and 
patches  of  woodland  appeared  here  and  there, 
the  actor  began  to  discuss  with  his  compan 
ion  their  plan  of  campaign. 

"  The  sooner  we  get  Violet  out  of  her 
prison,"  he  said,  "  and  leave  this  confounded 
vehicle  behind,  the  better." 

"  It's  rather  too  well  populated  about  here 
to  suit  me,"  replied  Banborough.  "  But  the 
police  haven't  been  idle  since  we  started,  and 
our  flight  has  probably  been  telegraphed  all 
over  the  countryside.  Perhaps  we'd  better 
run  the  risk,  for  if  we're  caught  red-handed 


CECIL  DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA.  51 

with  the  Black  Maria  we'll  find  some  diffi 
culty  in  proving  our  innocence." 

"  Besides  which,  I'm  anxious  to  get  Miss 
Arminster  out  of  durance  vile  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  for  I  think  the  Leopard's  been  caged 
long  enough,"  said  Spotts,  laughing. 

"  Why  do  you  people  insist  on  calling  Miss 
Arminster  the  Leopard?  "  asked  Banborough. 

"Oh,"  said  his  companion,  "I  think -I'd 
better  let  you  find  that  out  for  yourself.  It 
would  hardly  be  fair  to  Violet,  and  besides — " 
Then,  breaking  off  suddenly  as  they  entered  a 
strip  of  woodland,  he  changed  the  conversa 
tion  abruptly,  saying:  "  Here's  as  good  a 
place  as  we're  likely  to  find — no  houses  in 
sight,  and  a  clear  view  of  the  road  in  either 
direction."  And  as  Cecil  drew  up  the  horses 
he  jumped  off  the  box. 

"  How  are  you  going  to  open  the  confound 
ed  thing  ?  "  asked  the  author. 

"  Well,"  replied  his  companion,  "  I  should 
think  a  key  would  be  as  good  a  method  as  any 
other." 

"  The  best,  provided  you've  got  the  key." 


52  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I  imagine  you'll  find  it  in  the  right-hand 
outside  pocket  of  the  driver's  coat,"  said 
Spotts.  "  I  thought  I  heard  something  jingle 
as  I  was  helping  you  on  with  it." 

"  Right  you  are,"  said  the  Englishman. 
"Here  it  is!"  producing  two  nickel-plated 
keys  on  a  ring.  "  Now  we'll  have  her  out  in 
no  time."  And  running  round  to  the  back  of 
the  vehicle,  he  unlocked  the  folding  doors  and 
threw  them  wide  open,  crying: 

"  My  dear  Miss  Arminster,  accept  your  free 
dom  and  a  thousand  pardons  for  such  rough 
treatment.  What  the — !  "  And  he  stopped 
short,  too  surprised  to  finish;  for,  instead  of 
the  petite  form  of  the  fascinating  Violet,  there 
shambled  out  on  to  the  road  the  slouching 
figure  of  a  disreputable  tramp,  clothed  in  non 
descript  garments  of  uncertain  age  and  colour, 
terminating  in  a  pair  of  broken  boots,  out  of 
which  protruded  sockless  feet.  He  had  a 
rough  shock  of  hair,  surmounted  by  a  soft  hat 
full  of  holes,  and  a  fat  German  face,  whose 
ugliness  was  further  enhanced  by  the  red  stub 
bly  growth  of  a  week's  beard. 


CECIL  DRIVES  A  BLACK  MARIA,  53 

"  I  guess  youse  gents  has  rescued  me  un 
beknownst,  and  I'm  much  obleeged,  though 
I  don't  know  but  what  I'd  rather  break  stones 
up  to  Sing  Sing  than  be  chucked  round  the 
way  I  has  been  for  the  last  hour." 

"  Who  are  you?  "  demanded  Banborough.  • 
"  Me?  "  said  the  figure.    "  Oh,  I'm  a  anar 
chist." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

IN    WHICH    THE    BLACK    MARIA    RECEIVES    A 
NEW    INMATE. 

AT  the  sight  of  this  astonishing  and  utterly 
unlooked-for  personage,  the  actor  and  the 
Englishman  stood  for  a  moment  gaping  at 
each  other  in  surprised  silence.  Then,  as  the 
full  force  of  what  they  had  done  occurred  to 
them,  and  they  realised  that,  at  great  risk  of 
life,  limb,  and  freedom,  they  had  rescued  from 
the  clutches  of  the  law  an  utterly  worthless 
tramp,  they  burst  into  peals  of  uncontrollable 
laughter. 

"  But  where's  Violet?  "  gasped  Spotts,  who 
was  the  first  to  recover  himself. 

"  Oh,  there's  a  lady  in  there,  if  you  mean 
her"  said  the  tramp,  indicating  the  cavernous 
depths  of  the  Black  Maria. 

54 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  NEW  INMATE.         55 

"  Yes,  I'm  here  all  right,"  came  the  welcome 
tones  of  the  little  actress's  voice.  "  I'll  be  out 
in  just  a  moment,  as  soon  as  I've  put  myself 
straight.  You're  the  most  reckless  drivers  I 
ever  saw." 

"  I'm  awfully  sorry,"  said  Banborough,  ap 
proaching  the  door  to  help  her  out.  "  But 
circumstances  didn't  leave  us  much  choice." 

"  Apparently  not,"  she  replied,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  stood  in  their  midst,  looking  even 
more  bewitching  than  usual  in  her  dishevelled 
condition.  Then  as  she  drew  a  long  breath, 
inhaling  the  fresh  woodland  air,  and  realising 
all  the  joy  of  her  restored  freedom,  the  eternal 
feminine  reasserted  itself,  and,  seizing  both  of 
Spotts's  hands,  she  cried  impetuously:  "  Look 
at  me,  Alvy,  and  tell  me  if  my  hat  is  straight." 

They  all  laughed,  which  broke  the  tension 
of  the  situation. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  must  think  of  us," 
said  Banborough. 

"  I  thought  I  was  being  run  away  with  at 
first,"  she  said;  "but  when  I  heard  Alvy's 
voice  on  the  box  I  knew  it  must  be  all  right." 


56  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Of  course,"  continued  Cecil,  "  we  hadn't 
the  least  idea  there  was  anybody  else  in  the 
van." 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mind  so  much,"  she  said. 
"  He  was  quite  nice  and  respectful,  and  very 
soft  to  fall  on.  I  guess  he  must  be  all  black 
and  blue  from  the  number  of  times  I  hit  him." 

"  Well,  you're  safe,  and  that's  the  main 
thing,"  said  Spotts. 

"  But  what  does  it  all  mean? "  she  de 
manded. 

"  Oh,  there's  time  enough  for  explanations 
later  on,"  returned  the  actor.  "  We're  not 
out  of  the  woods  yet." 

"  Of  course  we  aren't,  stupid!  Any  one  can 
see  that." 

"  Metaphorically,  he  means,"  said  Cecil. 
"  But,  joking  apart,  this  Black  Maria  is,  so  to 
speak  particeps  criminis,  and  the  sooner  we 
lose  it  the  better." 

"  Which  way  shall  we  go?  "  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  that's  been  all  arranged  beforehand 
with  the  other  members  of  the  party,"  said 
Spotts,  purposely  omitting  to  mention  their 


THE  BLACK  M ARIA'S  HEW  INMATE.          57 

destination  in  the  presence  of  their  undesirable 
companion.  It  can't  be  more  than  a  mile  or 
two  across  country  to  the  Hudson  River  Rail 
road,  and  we'd  better  make  for  the  nearest 
station.  Do  you  feel  up  to  walking?  " 

"  Do  I  feel  up  to  walking!  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  Well,  if  you'd  been  chucked  round  for  an 
hour  without  being  consulted,  I  guess  you'd 
feel  like  doing  a  little  locomotion  on  your  own 
account."  And  without  another  word  the 
three  turned  to  get  their  belongings. 

"  Say,"  interjected  the  tramp,  "  where  do  I 
come  in?  " 

"  Oh,  but  you  don't,"  said  Spotts.  "  We're 
going  to  leave  you  this  beautiful  carriage  and 
pair  with  our  blessing.  Better  take  a  drive  in 
the  country  and  enjoy  the  fresh  air." 

"Yah!"  snarled  the  disreputable  one  in 
reply.  "  That  don't  go!  It's  too  thin!  Why, 
look  here,  boss,"  he  continued,  addressing 
Banborough,  "  you  went  and  'scaped  with  me 
without  so  much  as  sayin'  by  your  leave,  and 
now,  when  you've  gone  and  laid  me  open  to 
extra  time  for  evadin'  of  my  penalty,  you've 


$8  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD 

got  the  cheek  to  propose  to  leave  me  alone  in 
a  cold  world  with  that! "  And  he  pointed  ex 
pressively  at  the  Black  Maria. 

"  It  is  rather  hard  lines,"  admitted  Cecil. 
"  But,  you  see,  it  would  never  do  to  have  you 
with  us,  my  man.  Why,  your  clothes  would 
give  us  away  directly." 

"  And  I'll  give  yer  away  directly  to  the  cops 
if  you  don't  take  me  along." 

Banborough  and  Spotts  looked  at  each 
other  in  redoubled  perplexity. 

"  You  see,"  continued  the  anarchist,  ''  I 
don't  go  for  to  blow  on  no  blokes  as  has  stood 
by  me  as  youse  has,  but  it's  sink  or  swim  to 
gether.  Besides,  you'd  get  lost  in  this  country 
in  no  time,  while  I  knows  it  well.  Why,  I 
burgled  here  as  a  boy." 

"What's  to  be  done?"  asked  Cecil. 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  we've  got  to  take  him 
along,"  replied  the  actor.  "  We're  all  in  the 
same  boat,  if  it  comes  to  that." 

"  Now  if  youse  gents,"  suggested  the  tramp, 
"  could  find  an  extra  pair  of  pants  between 
you,  this  coat  and  hat  would  suit  me  down  to 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  NEW  INMATE.         59 

the  ground."  And  he  laid  a  dirty  paw  on 
Banborough's  discarded  garments. 

"  No  you  don't  !  "  cried  that  gentleman, 
hastily  recovering  his  possessions.  "  Haven't 
you  got  any  clothes  in  that  bag  of  yours, 
Spotts?  " 

"  Well,  I  have  got  a  costume,  Bishop,  and 
that's  a  fact,"  replied  the  actor;  "  but  it's 
hardly  in  his  line,  I  should  think." 

"  What  is  it? "  asked  the  Englishman. 
"  You  seem  about  of  a  size." 

"  It's  a  Quaker  outfit.  I  used  it  in  a  curtain- 
raiser  we  were  playing." 

"  That  would  do  very  well,"  said  Cecil,  "  if 
it  isn't  too  pronounced." 

"  Oh,  it's  tame  enough,"  replied  the  actor, 
who  exercised  a  restraint  in  his  art  for  which 
those  who  met  him  casually  did  not  give  him 
credit.  Indeed,  among  the  many  admirable 
qualities  which  led  people  to  predict  a  brilliant 
future  for  Spotts  was  the  fact  that  he  never 
overdid  anything. 

"  Huh!  "  grunted  the  tramp,  "  I  dunno  but 
what  I'd  as  lieve  sport  a  shovel  hat  as  the  suit 


60  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

of  bedticking  they  give  yer  up  the  river.  I 
used  to  work  round  Philidelphy  some,  and  I 
guess  I  could  do  the  lingo." 

"  Give  them  to  him,"  said  Banborough. 
"  I'll  make  it  good  to  you." 

"  Well,  take  them,  then,"  replied  Spotts  re 
gretfully,  handing  their  unwelcome  companion 
the  outfit  which  he  produced  from  his  bag,  add 
ing  as  he  pointed  to  the  woods:  "  Get  in  there 
and  change  quickly.  We  ought  to  be  mov- 
ing." 

The  tramp  made  one  step  towards  the 
underbrush,  and  then,  pausing  doubtfully, 
said: 

"  You  don't  happen  to  have  a  razor  and  a 
bit  of  looking-glass  about  yer,  do  yer?  I  see 
there's  a  brook  here,  and  there  ain't  nothin' 
Quakery  about  my  beard." 

The  actor's  face  was  a  study. 

"  I'm  afraid  there's  no  escape  from  it,  old 
man,"  remarked  Cecil.  "  If  you've  your  shav 
ing  materials  with  you,  let  him  have  them." 

"  There  they  are.  You  needn't  trouble  to 
return  them." 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  HEW  INMATE.         61 

Their  recipient  grinned  appreciatively,  and 
as  the  last  rustle  of  his  retirement  into  privacy 
died  away,  Miss  Arminster  turned  to  Banbor- 
ough  and  demanded: 

"  Now  tell  me  what  I  was  arrested  for,  why 
you  two  ran  away  with  me,  and  where  I'm 
being  taken." 

"  I  can  answer  the  first  of  those  questions," 
broke  in  Spotts.  "  You're  a  Spanish  sympa 
thiser  and  a  political  spy." 

"  I'm  nothing  of  the  sort,  as  you  know  very 
well!  "  she  replied,  colouring  violently.  "  I'm 
the  leading  lady  of  the  A.  B.  C.  Com 
pany." 

"  Of  course  zve  know  it,"  returned  the  actor; 
"  but  the  police  have  chosen  to  take  a  different 
view  of  the  matter." 

"  Why  is  he  chaffing  me  like  this?  "  she  said, 
appealing  to  Cecil. 

"  I'm  afraid  it's  a  grim  reality,"  he  replied. 
"  You  see,  when  the  Spanish  officials  were 
turned  out  of  Washington,  they'd  the  impert 
inence  to  take  the  title  of  my  book  as  their 
password." 


62  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"Well,  then,"  she  said,  "they  did  what 
they'd  no  right  to  do." 

"  I  suppose  that  would  be  a  question  of  in 
ternational  copyright,"  he  replied.  "  But 
'  The  Purple  Kangaroo  '  has  proved  itself  a 
most  troublesome  animal,  and  as  I  thought 
you  wouldn't  care  for  quarters  down  the  bay 
till  the  war  was  over,  I  took  the  liberty  of  run 
ning  off  with  you." 

"  I'm  very  much  obliged  to  you,  I'm  sure; 
but  what  next?  " 

"  We're  all  to  rendezvous  at  Yonkers." 

"And  then?" 

"  Well,  unless  the  situation  improves,  I'm 
afraid  it'll  become  a  question  of  seeking  a 
refuge  in  another  country." 

"  If  you  think,"  she  cried,  "  that  I'm  going 
to  spend  the  rest  of  my  existence  in  the  forests 
of  Yucatan  or  on  the  plains  of  Patagonia, 
you're  mightily  mistaken!  " 

"  Oh,"  he  said,  laughing,  "  it  isn't  as  bad  as 
all  that.  Ours  is  only  a  political  crime,  and 
Canada  will  afford  a  safe  harbour  from  the  ex 
tradition  laws." 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  NEW  INMATE.         63 

"  But  the  war  won't  be  finished  in  a  day," 
she  contended,  her  eyes  beginning  to  fill  with 
tears. 

"  Won't  you  trust  me?  "  asked  Cecil,  taking 
both  her  hands.  "  Won't  you  let  me  prove 
my  repentance  by  guarding  your  welfare? 
Won't  you — " 

Indeed  there  is  no  knowing  to  what  he 
might  have  committed  himself  in  the  face  of 
such  beauty  and  sorrow  had  not  Spotts  broken 
in  with  a  cry  of: 

"  It's  all  up  now!  We're  done  for,  and  no 
mistake!  "  And  he  pointed  to  the  figure  of  a 
short,  fat,  red-faced  man,  very  much  out  of 
breath,  who  was  bustling  down  the  road,  wav 
ing  his  hands  at  them  and  shouting  "  Hi!  " 

"  You'd  better  go  and  warn  the  tramp,"  said 
Banborough;  and  the  actor  plunged  into  the 
woods. 

A  moment  later  the  stranger  came  up  to 
them,  and  panted  out: 

"  I  arrest  you  both,  in  the  name  of  the 
law!" 

Neither   said    anything,    but    Banborough 


64  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

took  one  of  Miss  Arminster's  tiny  gloved 
hands  in  his  own  and  gave  it  a  little  squeeze 
just  by  way  of  reassuring  her. 

"  Well,"  said  the  new  arrival,  as  soon  as  he 
had  recovered  his  breath,  "  what  have  you  got 
to  say  for  yourselves?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  we've  anything  to  say," 
replied  Cecil  sheepishly. 

"  I  should  think  not! "  said  the  other. 
"  Here,  take  off  that  coat!  "  And  he  stripped 
the  official  garment  from  the  Englishman's 
shoulders.  "  The  cap,  too!  " 

Banborough  handed  it  to  him,  saying  as  he 
did  so: 

"  You're  a  police  official,  I  suppose?  " 

"  I'm  the  Justice  of  the  Peace  from  the  next 
town.  They  just  missed  catching  you  at  the 
last  place  you  drove  through,  and  telegraphed 
on  to  me.  Knowing  there  was  a  cross-road 
here,  I  wasn't  going  to  take  any  chance  of 
losing  you.  I  left  the  police  to  follow.  They'll 
be  along  in  a  minute.  Now  what  do  you  mean 
by  it?  " 

"  I  don't  suppose  any  explanations  of  mine 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  NEW  INMATE.         65 

would  persuade  you  that  you're  making  a  mis 
take,"  said  Banborough. 

"  No,  I  don't  suppose  they  would.  Now 
you  put  on  that  coat  accidentally,  didn't  you? 
Just  absent-mindedly — " 

"  I  don't  know  you,"  broke  in  the  English 
man,  "  and  I  don't — " 

"  That'll  do,"  said  the  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
"  I  don't  know  you  either,  and — yes,  I  do 
know  the  woman."  Then  turning  to  Miss  Ar- 
minster,  he  continued:  "  Didn't  I  perform  the 
marriage  ceremony  over  you  the  year  before 
last?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  said  softly.  And  Cecil  re 
linquished  her  hand.  This,  he  considered,  was 
worse  than  being  arrested. 

"  I  thought  I  did,"  went  on  the  magistrate. 
"  I  don't  often  forget  a  face,  and  I'm  sorry  to 
see  you  in  such  bad  company." 

The  young  girl  began  to  show  signs  of 
breaking  down,  and  the  situation  was  fast  be 
coming  acute,  when  the  unexpected  tones  of 
an  unctuous  voice  suddenly  diverted  every- 
bodv's  attention. 


66  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Why  is  thee  so  violent,  friend  ? "  said 
some  one  behind  them.  And  turning  quickly, 
they  perceived  the  sleek,  clean-shaven,  well- 
groomed  figure  of  a  Quaker,  dressed  in  a 
shad-bellied  brown  coat,  a  low  black  silk  hat 
with  a  curved  brim,  and  square  shoes. 

"  Who  the  devil — !  "  began  the  officer. 

"Fie!  fie!"  said  the  stranger.  "Abstain 
from  cursings  and  revilings  in  thy  speech. 
But  I  am  glad  thee  hast  come,  for  verily  I 
feared  the  workers  of  iniquity  were  abroad." 

"  Oh,  you  know  something  about  it,  do 
you?  "  asked  the  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

"  I  was  returning  from  a  meeting  of  the 
Friends,"  continued  the  Quaker  blandly, 
when  I  came  upon  these  two  misguided 
souls.  As  my  counsellings  were  not  heeded, 
and  I  am  a  man  of  peace,  I  had  retired  into 
the  woods  to  pursue  my  way  uninterrupted, 
when  I  heard  thee  approach." 

"  Well,  I'll  be  glad  of  your  assistance, 
though  I  daresay  I  could  have  managed  them 
until  the  police  came.  They're  a  dangerous 
pair." 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  NEW  INMATE.         67 

"  And  what  will  thee  do  with  the  other 
prisoner,  friend  ?  " 

"  Eh?    What  other  prisoner?  " 

"  The  one  that  lies  in  a  debauched  sleep  at 
the  farther  end  of  the  van.  I  have  striven  to 
arouse  him,  but  in  vain." 

"  Where  is  he?  "  said  the  magistrate,  peer 
ing  into  the  black  depths  of  the  waggon. 

"  In  the  far  corner.  Thee  canst  not  see 
him  from  here." 

"  I'll  have  him  out  in  no  time!  "  exclaimed 
the  officer,  springing  into  the  van,  with  the 
driver's  hat  and  coat  still  in  his  hand. 

"  Not  if  I  knows  it,  you  old  bloke!  "  cried 
the  sometime  Quaker,  slamming  the  door  and 
turning  the  key  with  vicious  enjoyment,  while 
his  three  companions,  for  Spotts  had  emerged 
from  the  wood,  executed  a  war-dance  round 
the  vehicle  out  of  sheer  joy  and  exultation. 
From  within  proceeded  a  variety  of  curses  and 
imprecations,  while  the  Black  Maria  bounced 
upon  its  springs  as  if  a  young  elephant  had 
gone  mad  inside. 


68  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Suddenly  the  Quaker  laid  a  detaining  hand 
upon  Banborough's  shoulder,  saying: 

"Take  care,  boss;  here  come  the  cops! 
I'll  play  the  leading  role,  and  you  follow  the 
cues." 

They  all  paused  and  stood  listening,  while 
the  rapid  beat  of  a  horse's  hoofs  came  to  their 
ears,  and  a  second  later  a  Concord  waggon, 
loaded  down  with  policemen,  swung  into  view 
round  the  corner  of  the  road,  and  presently 
drew  up  beside  them. 

"  Thee  hast  come  in  good  time,  friend," 
said  the  Quaker  to  the  chief  officer.  "  We 
have  watched  thy  prisoners  overlong  already." 

"  Where's  the  boss?  "  demanded  the  official. 

"  Dost  thee  mean  the  w-orldly  man  with  the 
red  face,  much  given  to  profane  speak- 
ing?" 

"  I  guess  that's  him,"  laughed  one  of  the 
subordinates. 

"  As  I  was  returning  from  a  meeting  of  the 
Friends  with  these  good  people,"  pursued  the 
Quaker,  indicating  his  companions,  ''  we  came 
upon  this  vehicle  standing  in  the  road,  the 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  NEW  INMATE.         69 

horses  being  held  by  two  men,  who,  when  they 
saw  us,  ran  into  the  woods  towards  the  river." 

"  How  were  they  dressed  ? "  asked  the 
chief  officer. 

"  One  of  them  had  garments  like  thine, 
friend." 

"  That's  our  man,  sure!  " 

"  Very  presently,"  resumed  the  Quaker, 
"  came  thy  master,  using  much  unseemly 
language,  who,  having  heard  our  story,  fol 
lowed  the  men  in  the  direction  we  indicated, 
begging  that  we  guard  this  carriage  till  you 
came,  and  bidding  us  tell  you  to  return  with 
it  to  the  town." 

"  Well,  I  guess  the  boss  knows  his  own 
business  best,"  said  the  leader  of  the  party; 
"  so  we'd  better  be  getting  back  to  the  station. 
I  suppose  you'll  come  and  give  your  evi 
dence." 

"  I  am  a  man  of  peace,"  said  the  Quaker; 
"  but  if  my  testimony  is  required  I  and  my 
friends  will  walk  behind  thee  to  the  next  town 
and  give  it." 

"  It's  only  half  a  mile  from  here,  a  straight 


70  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

road — you  can't  miss  it.  You'll  be  there  as 
soon  as  we  want  you." 

The  Quaker  nodded. 

"  Then  we'd  better  be  moving,"  said  the 
chief  officer.  "  I'll  drive  Maria,  and  you  fel 
lows  go  ahead  in  the  cart." 

The  remarks  which  were  now  proceeding 
from  the  interior  of  that  vehicle  were  much 
too  dreadful  to  record.  But  as  it  was  about  to 
start,  the  man  of  peace,  lifting  his  hands, 
checked  the  driver  and  said: 

"  I  will,  with  thy  permission,  approach  the 
grating  and  speak  a  word  of  counsel."  And 
going  to  the  door,  he  said  in  a  loud  voice: 

"  Peace,  friend.  Remember  what  the  good 
Benjamin  Franklin  has  said:  '  He  that  speaks 
much  is  much  mistaken.' ' 

The  reply  elicited  by  these  remarks  was  of 
such  a  nature  that  Miss  Arminster  was  obliged 
to  put  her  hands  over  her  ears,  and  the  police 
drove  off  with  loud  guffaws,  enjoying  im 
mensely  the  good  Quaker's  confusion. 

"  That  bloke,"  remarked  the  tramp,  as  the 
Black  Maria  disappeared  in  a  cloud  of  dust, 


THE  BLACK  MARIA'S  NEW  INMATE.          n 

"  give  me  three  months  once,  an'  I  feels  bet 
ter." 

And  without  another  word  he  led  the  party 
across  the  road  and  into  the  woods  in  the 
direction  of  the  river. 


CHAPTER   V. 

IN    WHICH    THE    PARTY    RECEIVES    A    NEW 
IMPETUS. 

AN  hour  later,  when  the  little  party  of  four, 
weary  and  dusty,  walked  up  to  the  hotel  at 
Yonkers,  they  perceived  Tybalt  Smith  in  his 
shirt-sleeves,  with  his  hat  tipped  over  his  eyes 
as  a  protection  from  the  rays  of  the  declining 
sun,  lying  fast  asleep  in  a  large  garden  chair 
which  was  tilted  back  on  its  hind  legs  against 
the  side  of  the  house.  Spotts  lost  no  time  in 
poking  him  in  the  ribs  with  his  cane,  where 
upon  the  tragedian,  rousing  himself  from 
slumber,  hastily  assumed  a  more  upright  posi 
tion,  bringing  the  chair  down  on  its  front  legs 
with  a  bang.  Having  thus  been  fully  awak 
ened,  he  became  at  once  the  master  of  the 

situation. 

72 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.      73 

"  We  are  here,"  he  said. 

"  So  I  see,"  replied  Spotts,  "  and  a  pretty 
show  you've  made  of  yourself.  There's 
nothing  private  or  retiring  about  your  meth 
ods.  Now  where  are  the  rest  of  the  party?  " 

Mr.  Smith  at  once  assumed  an  air  of  mys 
terious  solemnity. 

"  Mrs.  Mackintosh,"  he  said  in  a  stage 
whisper,  "  is  above.  I  reserved  an  apartment 
for  her  and  the  Leop — Miss  Arminster,  I 
mean,  and  a  private  sitting-room  for  us  all. 
Mrs.  Mackintosh  is  disturbed.  Mrs.  Mackin 
tosh  requires  an  explanation.  Mrs.  Mackin 
tosh,"  turning  to  Banborough,  "  is  a  woman 
of  great  character,  of  great  force,  and  she  re 
quires  an  explanation  of  you!  " 

"  Ha!  "  said  Spotts,  casting  a  look  of  mock 
commiseration  at  the  Englishman. 

"  Perhaps  it  might  be  better,"  suggested 
the  tragedian,  "  if  Miss  Arminster  saw  her 
first." 

"  Perhaps  it  might,"  acquiesced  Spotts. 

"All  right,  I'll  go,"  said  Violet;  adding  to 
Cecil,  as  she  passed  him:  "  Don't  be  fright- 


74  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

ened;  her  bark's  worse  than  her  bite."  And 
she  entered  the  house  laughing. 

"  But  where  are  the  others?  "  asked  the 
author. 

"Sh!"  whispered  the  tragedian,  casting  a 
suspicious  glance  at  the  Quaker.  "  We're  not 
alone." 

"  Yes,"  said  Spotts,  "  the  Bishop's  got  a 
new  convert." 

"  Oh,"  returned  Banborough,  "  I  forgot 
you  hadn't  met  this  gentleman.  We  inad 
vertently  rescued  him,  and  since  then  he's 
done  us  a  similar  service  twice  over.  I  really 
don't  know  what  he's  called.  The  clothes 
belong  to  Spotts." 

"  I  thought  I  recognised  the  costume,"  said 
Smith.  Then,  turning  to  the  stranger,  he  de 
manded,  abruptly:  ''What's  your  name?" 

"  I  have  been  known  by  many,"  came  the 
suave  tones  of  the  Quaker,  "  but  for  the  pur- 
.  poses  of  our  brief  acquaintance  thee  mayst 
call  me  Friend  Othniel." 

The  tragedian  gave  a  grunt  of  disapproval. 

"  I    think   he   can   be   trusted,"    remarked 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.      75 

Spotts.  "  He's  certainly  stood  by  us  well,  so 
far.  Now  tell  us  about  Kerrington  and  Mill." 

"  Yes,  I'm  most  anxious  to  know  what's  be 
come  of  them,"  said  the  Englishman.  And 
the  three  drew  nearer  together,  while  the 
Quaker,  turning  to  the  road,  stood  basking  in 
the  sunshine,  his  broad  flabby  hands  clasped 
complacently  before  him. 

Tybalt  Smith,  after  casting  another  furtive 
glance  in  Friend  Othniel's  direction,  mur 
mured  the  words: 

"  Shoe-strings  and  a  sandwich!  " 

"  Eh?    What?  "  queried  Banborough. 

"  Our  two  friends,"  continued  the  tragedian, 
"  through  the  powerful  aid  of  a  member  of  our 
fraternity,  whose  merits  the  public  have 
hitherto  failed  to  recognise,  have  sought  ref 
uge  in  the  more  humble  walks  of  life  to  escape 
the  undesirable  publicity  forced  upon  them  by 
you!  Mr.  Kerrington,  disguised  as  a  Jew  ped 
lar,  is  now  dispensing  shoe-strings  and  collar- 
buttons  on  lower  Broadway,  while  Mr.  Mill  is 
at  present  taking  a  constitutional  down  Fifth 
Avenue  encased  in  a  sandwich  frame  calling 


7 6  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

attention  to  the  merits  of  Backer's  Tar  Soap. 
He  is,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  between  the 
boards  instead  of  on  the  boards — a  little 
pleasantry  of  my  own,  you  will  observe." 

The  tragedian  paused,  but  failing  to  elicit 
the  desired  laugh,  continued  his  narration: 

"  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  though  having  been  of 
fered  a  most  desirable  position  to  hawk  apples 
and  chewing-gum  on  Madison  Square,  has 
preferred  to  share  the  rigours  of  an  unknown 
exile,  that  she  might  protect  the  youthful  in 
nocence  of  our  leading  lady." 

"  All  of  which  means,"  said  Spotts  shortly, 
"that  Mill  and  Kerrington  chose  to  fake  it 
out  in  town,  while  you  and  the  old  girl  bolted." 

"Our  friend,"  remarked  Smith,  casting  an 
aggrieved  look  at  the  last  speaker,  "  is  lament 
ably  terse.  But  let  us  join  Mrs.  Mackintosh. 
She  will  support  my  remarks,  not  perhaps  in 
such  chaste  diction,  but — " 

"  Oh,  shut  it  off  !  "  interrupted  Mr.  Spotts. 
"Come  along,  Othniel.  I  guess  you're  in  this, 
too."  And  he  led  the  way  into  the  house. 

When  they  entered  the  private  parlour  they 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.      77 

found  Mrs.  Mackintosh  and  Miss  Arminster 
waiting  to  receive  them,  the  old  lady  with 
mingled  feelings  of  righteous  indignation  and 
amusement  at  the  ludicrous  position  in  which 
they  were  placed,  which  latter  she  strove  hard 
to  conceal. 

"  Well,  Bishop,"  she  began,  as  soon  as  Ban- 
borough  was  fairly  in  the  room,  "  you've  car 
ried  off  an  innocent  and  unsuspecting  young 
lady  in  a  Black  Maria,  imprisoned  an  officer 
of  the  law,  deceived  his  agents,  reduced  two 
of  the  members  of  our  company  to  walking 
the  streets,  forced  us  to  consort  with  thieves 
and  criminals,"  pointing  to  the  bland  form  of 
the  Quaker,  who  had  just  appeared  in  the 
doorway,  "  laid  us  all  under  the  imputation  of 
plotting  against  our  country,  exiled  us  from' 
our  native  land,  brought  me  away  from  New 
York  in  my  declining  years,  with  only  the 
clothes  I  stand  up  in,  and  deposited  me  in  a 
small  room  on  the  third  floor  of  a  second-class 
hotel,  which  is  probably  full  of  fleas!  And 
now  I  ask  you,  sir,  in  the  name  of  Christian 
decency,  which  you're  supposed  to  represent, 


78  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

and  common  sense,  of  which  you've  very  little, 
what  you're  going  to  do  with  us?  " 

Banborough  sat  down  suddenly  on  the  near 
est  available  chair,  made  a  weak  attempt  at  a 
smile,  gave  it  up,  and  blurted  out: 

"Well,  I'm  blessed  if  I  know!  But  permit 
me  to  decline  the  declining  years,"  he  mur 
mured  gallantly. 

"I  have,"  continued  the  lady,  with  a  twinkle 
in  her  eye,  "  for  the  past  thirty  years  played 
blameless  parts  on  the  metropolitan  stage,  and 
I'm  too  old  to  assume  with  any  degree  of  suc 
cess  the  role  of  a  political  criminal." 

"  Madam,"  said  the  author,  making  a  des 
perate  effort  to  compose  himself,  "  I'm  the 
first  to  admit  the  lack  of  foresight  on  my  part 
which  has  placed  us  in  this  deplorable  predica 
ment;  but  the  fact  remains  that  we're  sus 
pected  of  a  serious  crime  against  this  Govern 
ment,  and  until  we  can  prove  ourselves  inno 
cent  it's  necessary  to  protect  our  liberties  as 
best  we  may.  I  fortunately  have  ample  funds, 
and  I  can  only  say  that  it  will  be  a  duty  as  well 
as  a  privilege  to  take  you  all  to  a  place  of 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.      79 

safety,  and  keep  you  there,  as  my  guests,  till 
happier  times." 

"  Hear,  hear!  "  said  the  tragedian  from  the 
back  of  the  room,  while  the  Quaker  settled 
himself  into  the  most  comfortable  armchair 
with  a  sigh  of  contentment. 

"  Very  nicely  spoken,  young  man,"  replied 
the  older  lady,  whose  suspicions  were  only 
partially  allayed,  "  but  words  aren't  deeds, 
and  Canada,  where  I'm  informed  we're  to  be 
dumped,  is  a  long  way  off;  and  if  you  imagine 
you  can  go  cavorting  round  the  country  with 
a  Black  Maria  for  a  whole  afternoon  without 
bringing  the  police  down  on  you,  you're 
vastly  mistaken!  " 

"  Thee  speaketh  words  of  wisdom,  but  a  full 
stomach  fortifieth  a  stout  heart,"  said  Friend 
Othniel. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Smith,  who  took  this  remark 
to  himself.  "  I  ordered  dinner  at  six,  thinking 
you'd  be  in  then,  and  if  I'm  not  mistaken  it's 
here  now."  And  as  he  spoke  the  door  opened 
and  a  waiter  entered  to  lay  the  table. 

Conversation  of  a  private  nature  was  natur- 


80  HIS  LORDSHIP'S   LEOPARD. 

ally  suspended  forthwith,  and  the  members  of 
the  A.  B.  C.  Company  sat  in  silence,  hungrily 
eyeing  the  board. 

"  Thee  mayst  lay  a  place  for  me,  friend," 
said  the  Quaker  to  the  waiter,  as  he  watched 
the  preparations  with  bland  enjoyment. 

"  Did  you  order  any  drinks?  "  asked  Ban- 
borough  of  the  tragedian. 

"  No,  Bishop,  I  didn't,"  replied  the  latter. 
"  As  you're  paying  for  the  show,  I  thought  I'd 
leave  you  that  privilege." 

"  Order  six  soda  lemonades,"  said  Ban- 
borough  to  the  waiter,  adding  behind  his  hand 
to  Spotts,  as  he  noted  the  gloom  spread  over 
the  company:  "  No  liquor  to-night.  We  need 
to  keep  our  wits  about  us." 

'"  Stop,  friend,"  came  the  unctuous  tones  of 
the  Quaker,  arresting  the  waiter  as  he  was 
about  to  leave  the  room.  "'  For  myself  I 
never  take  strong  waters,  but  thee  forgettest, 
Bishop,"  giving  Banborough  the  title  he  had 
heard  the  others  use,  "  thee  forgettest  that  our 
revered  friend/'  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  in 
Mrs.  Mackintosh's  direction,  ''  hath  an  affec- 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.     81 

tion  of  her  lungs  which  requires  her  to  take 
a  brandy  and  soda  for  her  body's  good  before 
meals.  Let  it  be  brought  at  once!  " 

"  Why,  you  impudent  upstart!  "  gasped  the 
old  lady,  as  the  door  closed  behind  the  waiter. 
"  How  dare  you  say  I  drink!  " 

"  Shoo!  "  returned  Friend  Othniel,  lapsing 
from  the  Quaker  into  the  tramp;  "  I  ain't  or- 
derin'  it  for  youse.  I've  a  throat  like  a 
Sahara." 

Then  turning  to  the  other  members  of  the 
company,  he  continued: 

"  Now  seein'  as  we've  a  moment  alone,  and 
bein'  all  criminals,  I  votes  we  has  a  session  o' 
the  committee  o'  ways  and  means." 

A  chorus  of  indignant  protest  arose  from 
every  side. 

"  Youse  ain't  criminals,  eh?  What's  liber- 
atin'  prisoners,  an'  stealin'  two  hosses  an'  a 
kerridge,  an'  the  driver's  hat  an'  coat,  with  a 
five-dollar  bill  in  the  pocket?  " 

Banborough  rose  to  deny  vehemently  the 
last  assertion. 

"  Oh,  yes,  ther'  was,"  continued  the  tramp. 


82  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I  got  that."  And  he  produced  a  crisp  note 
at  the  sight  of  which  the  Englishman  groaned, 
as  he  realised  the  damning  chain  of  evidence 
which  circumstance  was  building  up  around 
them. 

"  An'  lockin'  up  officers  of  the  law,"  Friend 
Othniel  went  on,  "  an'  runnin'  off  with  prison 
ers,  specially  a  tough  like  me,  one  o'  your  pals, 
what's  wanted  particular."  And  he  winked 
villainously. 

"  I  do  not  see,"  began  Banborough,  who 
was  fast  losing  his  temper,  "  that  there's  any 
need  of  discussing  the  moral  aspect  of  this 
affair.  You,"  turning  to  the  tramp,  "  will  have 
your  dinner  and  your  drink,  and  a  certain  sum 
of  money,  and  you'll  then  kindly  leave  us. 
Though  your  nature  may  be  incapable  of  ap 
preciating  the  difference  between  a  crime 
knowingly  committed  and  one  innocently  en 
tered  into,  a  difference  exists,  and  renders 
further  association  between  us  undesirable,  to 
say  the  least." 

"  Oh,  it  does,  does  it?  "  said  Friend  Othniel. 
"  Well,  that's  where  youse  blokes  is  mistook. 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.      83 

This  mornin'  my  dearest  ambition  was  to  blow 
up  Madison  Square  Garden,  but  what's  that 
to  wreckin'  a  whole  nation?  No,  Bishop,  I'm 
a  political  conspirator  from  this  time  on,  and 
I'll  stand  by  yer  through  thick  and  thin!  Why, 
you  people  ain't  no  more  fitted  to  run  a  show 
o'  this  sort  than  a  parcel  of  three-weeks-old 
babies.  I  wouldn't  give  yer  ten  hours  to  land 
the  whole  crowd  in  jail;  but  you  just  trust  to 
me,  and  I'll  see  yer  safe,  if  it  can  be  done.  I 
tell  yer,  it  ain't  the  fust  time  I  ben  in  a  hurry 
to  view  Niagary  Falls  from  the  Canadian  side." 

Just  then  the  door  opened,  and  the  waiter 
entered  with  the  brandy  and  soda  in  a  long 
glass. 

"  Thee  mayst  put  it  here,  friend,  till  the  lady 
is  ready  to  take  it,"  said  Othniel,  indicating 
the  table  at  his  side. 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,"  snapped  Mrs. 
Mackintosh.  "  I  guess  I'm  as  ready  to  take  it 
now's  I  ever  shall  be."  And  she  grasped  the 
glass  and,  setting  her  face,  proceeded  to  drain 
the  tumbler  to  the  amusement  of  the  com 
pany. 


84  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  There,"  she  said,  wiping  her  lips  with  her 
handkerchief,  as  the  waiter  left  the  room, 
"  that  tasted  about  as  bad  as  anything  I've 
had  for  a  long  time;  but  if  it  had  been  castor 
oil,  I'd  have  drunk  every  drop  rather  than  that 
you'd  had  it." 

A  general  laugh  greeted  this  sally,  and  the 
tramp  remarked  sheepishly  that  he  guessed 
he'd  know  it  the  next  time  he  ran  up  against 
her. 

Then,  waxing  serious,  he  resumed  his 
former  topic. 

"  We  ain't  got  no  time  to  waste  in  frivolity," 
he  said,  "  and  if  we're  to  get  out  of  this  hole, 
the  sooner  we  makes  our  plans  the  better,  and 
perhaps,  as  I  know  more  about  this  business 
than  youse,  I'll  do  the  talking." 

Receiving  the  silent  assent  of  the  company, 
he  continued:  "  I  remembers  in  the  days  o' 
my  innocent  youth,  before  I  burgled  my  first 
watch,  a-playin'  of  a  Sunday-school  game, 
where  we  went  out  of  the  room,  and  the  bloke 
what  teached  us  put  a  quarter  somewhere  in 
plain  sight,  and  when  we  come  in  again  not 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  HEW  IMPETUS.      85 

o'ne  on  us  could  find  it,  'cause  it  was  just  under 
our  noses;  which  the  same  is  the  game  I'm 
proposing  to  play." 

"  I  think  I  see  what  you  mean,"  said  Ban- 
borough.  "  I've  heard  it  said  that  the  destruc 
tion  of  most  criminals  is  their  cleverness." 

"  That's  just  what  I'm  a-tryin'  to  point  out," 
replied  the  tramp.  "  The  cops  gives  you  the 
credit  of  allus  tryin'  to  do  the  out-o'-the-way 
thing,  so  as  to  put  'em  off  the  track,  while  if 
yer  only  acted  as  yer  naturally  would  if  yer 
hadn't  done  nothin'  to  be  cotched  for,  yer 
could  walk  before  their  eyes  and  they'd  never 
see  yer." 

"That  sounds  all  right,"  said  Spotts. 
"  Now  what's  your  advice?  " 

"To  go  back  to  New  York,"  replied  the 
tramp  shortly. 

"  But,"  objected  Miss  Arminster,  "  we  can't 
stay  in  the  United  States." 

"  Who  said  we  could?  "  retorted  the  tramp. 
"  Don't  yer  see,  the  cops'll  reckon  on  our 
takin'  some  train  along  hereabouts  for  the 
North,  and  they'll  watch  all  the  little  stations 


86  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

on  the  up  line,  but  they  won't  trouble  'bout 
the  down  line,  'cause  they  know  we've  left  the 
city.  So  all  we  has  to  do,  after  we've  had  our 
dinner  comfortable-like,  is  to  take  a  local  back 
to  town,  and  catch  the  White  Mountain  Ex 
press  for  Montreal." 

"  Why  the  White  Mountain  Express?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Mackintosh. 

"  'Cause  it's  the  longest  route,"  replied  the 
tramp,  "  an'  they'll  reckon  on  our  takin'  the 
shortest.  Besides  which,  we'll  cross  the  border 
in  the  early  morning,  havin'  the  baggage, 
which  we  ain't  got,  examined  on  arrival." 

The  company  expressed  hearty  approval  of 
the  plan,  and  it  was  easy  to  see,  in  the  case  of 
the  ladies  at  least,  that  Friend  Othniel's  sagac 
ity  had  won  him  a  much-improved  position 
in  their  estimation. 

The  waiter  now  came  bustling  in  and  out  of 
the  room,  and  Mrs.  Mackintosh  drew  Cecil 
apart  into  the  embrasure  of  a  window. 

"  You  mustn't  think  I'm  too  hard  on  you, 
young  man,"  she  said.  "  though  I  can  talk 
like  a  house  afire  when  I  once  get  r'iled.  I 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEIV  IMPETUS.     87 

know  you  didn't  mean  to  get  us  into  this 
scrape.  You're  a  good-hearted  chap,  or  you 
wouldn't  have  given  us  all  a  breakfast  when 
you  didn't  need  to,  and  I  want  you  to  under 
stand  that  I'll  stand  by  you  whatever  happens. 
I've  taken  a  real  liking  to  you,  because  you 
can  look  me  straight  in  the  eye,  and  I  know 
you're  worth  a  dozen  of  those  chaps  one  sees 
hanging  round  a  theatre;  and  if  you  behave 
yourself  nicely,  you  won't  find  you've  got  a 
better  friend  than  Betsy  Mackintosh."  And 
she  squeezed  his  hand  with  an  honest  fervour 
that  many  a  man  might  have  envied. 

Cecil  thanked  her  for  her  confidence  in  him, 
and  turned  to  have  a  few  words  with  Miss 
Arminster,  who  had  been  constantly  in  his 
mind.  When  she  had  admitted  to  the  Justice 
of  the  Peace  that  she  was  a  married  woman, 
he  felt  as  if  somebody  had  poured  a  pitcher  of 
ice-water  down  his  back.  Of  course  he  hardly 
considered  his  sentiment  for  her  as  serious, 
but  he  was  at  the  age  when  a  young  man  feels 
it  a  personal  grievance  if  he  discovers  that  a 
pretty  girl  is  married.  Indeed,  the  fact  that 


88  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

the  little  actress  had  been  so  blind  to  her  own 
interests  as  not  to  keep  her  heart  and  hand 
free  till  he  came  along  first  caused  him  to  real 
ise  how  hard  he  was  hit. 

"  I  do  hope  you've  not  been  too  much 
fatigued?  "  he  said,  sitting  down  beside  her. 

"  Oh,  you  mustn't  bother  about  that,"  she 
replied,  raising  her  eyes  to  his  in  a  decidedly 
disconcerting  manner.  "  I'm  afraid  you  must 
have  thought  me  very  selfish  and  ungrateful 
for  seeming  to  care  so  much  about  my  own 
appearance  and  so  little  about  all  you've  done 
for  me." 

"  Oh,  don't  speak  of  that,"  he  protested. 

"  But  I  must  speak  of  it,"  she  insisted.  "  I 
can't  begin  to  tell  you  how  I  appreciated  it. 
It  was  plucky  and  just  splendid,  and  some  day 
or  other  I  want  you  to  take  me  out  driving 
again,  in  another  sort  of  trap.  You're  the  best 
whip  I  ever  knew." 

He  flushed  under  her  praise,  and  began  to 
say  pretty  things  which  he  had  better  have 
omitted;  but  she  presently  became  absent- 
minded  in  the  face  of  his  attentions,  and  in- 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.     89 

terpreting  this  as  an  unfavourable  sign,  he 
ventured  to -ask  her  why  she  was  so  pensive. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  must  think  me  awfully 
rude,"  she  said,  "  and  really  I've  listened  to 
all  the  nice  things  you've  been  saying,  half 
of  which  I  don't  deserve,  but  the  fact  is,  this 
place,  and  even  this  very  room,  are  full  of 
sweet  associations  for  me.  It  was  in  that  little 
church,  just  across  the  road,  that  I  was  mar 
ried  four  years  ago." 

"But  I  thought,"  he  began,  "that  the 
Justice  of  the  Peace  said  that  he  married  you." 

"  So  he  did,"  she  returned  softly,  "  but  that 
was  different — it  was  later." 

"Eh?    What!  "he  said,  "later?" 

"  Yes,"  she  replied  dreamily,  not  noticing 
the  interruption.  "  But  it  was  here  that  the 
few  sweet  days  of  my  first  honeymoon  were 
passed.  'Twas  here  I  became  the  bride  of  the 
only  man  I've  ever  loved,  the  bride  of — " 

"Hist!"  cried  the  tramp,  who  had  been 
looking  out  of  the  window.  "  The  house  is 
watched!  "  And  with  this  announcement  Ban- 
borough's  tete-a-tete  came  to  an  abrupt  close. 


9°  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Are  you  sure?  "  cried  Spotts. 

"  Positive.  There  are  three  cops  fooling 
round  in  front  now." 

"  What  shall  we  do?  "  cried  Smith. 

"  Git,"  rejoined  the  tramp. 

"  But  how?  "  queried  Banborough. 

"  Oh,  I'll  fix  that  all  right,"  said  the  Quaker. 
"  I  bagged  a  plated  tea-service  here  five  years 
ago,  and  if  they  ain't  changed  the  arrange 
ments  of  the  house,  this  side  door  leads  into 
an  unused  passage,  which,  barrin'  the  climbin' 
of  a  picket  fence,  is  very  handy  for  escape." 

"  But  how  about  the  waiter?  "  suggested 
Mrs.  Mackintosh,  who  was  always  practical. 

"  Right  you  are,"  said  Friend  Othniel. 
"  We'll  lock  the  door  before  we  get  out. 
They'll  waste  time  enough  over  trying  to  open 
it,  to  give  us  a  chance." 

To  speak  was  to  act,  and  the  tramp  softly 
turned  the  key  and  slipped  it  into  his  pocket. 

"  As  a  memento,"  he  said.  "  It's  all  I'm 
likely  to  git.  They  don't  even  use  plate  now." 
And  he  fingered  the  spoons  and  forks  on  the 
table  regretfully. 


THE  PARTY  RECEIVES  A  NEW  IMPETUS.     91 

"  Come,"  said  Spotts  shortly.  "  We've  no 
time  to  lose." 

"  Look  here,"  said  Banborough  to  the  com 
pany,  "  I  may  be  a  criminal,  but  I'm  not  a 
sneak,  and  I  don't  order  meals  and  apartments 
without  paying  for  them.  How  much  ought 
I  to  leave  behind?  " 

Spotts  laughed. 

"  If  you  put  it  that  way,  I  guess  ten  dollars'll 
cover  it,"  he  said. 

The  Englishman  threw  a  bill  on  the  table. 

"  Now,"  crt'ed  Smith,  "  let's  be  off  !  " 

"  Out  this  way,"  said  the  tramp,  opening  a 
side  door.  "  You  others  go  first,  and  I'll  wait 
here  till  I  sees  you're  all  safe." 

"  Not  if  I  know  it,"  said  Cecil.  "  You  go 
first,  or  you'll  get  kicked." 

The  tramp  looked  longingly  at  the  crisp 
note,  and  led  the  way,  remarking: 

"  Thee  castest  thy  pearls  before  swine, 
friend." 

"  Ah,  that's  just  what  I'm  trying  to  avoid," 
said  Banborough  cheerfully,  bringing  up  the 
rear. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IN    WHICH    THE    BISHOP    OF    BLANFORD    RE 
CEIVES  A   BLACK   EYE. 

"  THE  Bishop  of  Blanford  !  "  announced  the 
page,  as  he  threw  open  the  door  of  Sir  Joseph 
Westmoreland's  private  consulting-room. 

Sir  Joseph  came  forward  to  meet  his  dis 
tinguished  patient,  and  said  a  few  tactful 
words  about  having  long  known  his  Lordship 
by  reputation.  The  Bishop  smiled  amiably, 
and  surveyed  the  great  London  physician 
through  his  glasses.  The  two  men  were  of 
thoroughly  opposite  types:  Sir  Joseph  tall, 
thin,  wiry,  his  high  forehead  and  piercing  blue 
eye  proclaiming  a  powerful  mind  well  trained 
for  the  purposes  of  science;  the  Bishop  short 
and  broad  of  stature,  with  an  amiable,  round 
ed,  ruddy  face,  and  the  low  forehead  which  is 

typical  of  a  complacent  dogmatism. 

92 


THE  BISHOP  RECEIVES  A  BLACK  EYE.      93 

An  ecclesiastic  had  come  to  humbug  a  man 
of  science.  Could  he  do  it?  Not  really,  he 
told  himself;  but  then  Sir  Joseph  was  so 
courteous. 

"  I  ventured  to  consult  you,"  said  his  Lord 
ship,  in  reply  to  the  physician's  questions, 
"  because  I  feel  the  need  of  rest,  absolute  rest. 
The  duties  of  my  diocese  are  so  onerous — and 
— er — in  short — you  understand." 

"  Quite  so,  quite  so,"  said  Sir  Joseph,  who 
understood  that  there  was  nothing  whatever 
the  matter  with  his  patient. 

"  To  be  entirely  alone,"  continued  the 
Bishop,  "  for  a  space  of  time,  without  any 
distractions — not  even  letters." 

"  Most  certainly  not  letters,  your  Lord 
ship." 

"  How  wonderful  you  men  of  science  are!  " 
murmured  the  ecclesiastic.  "  You  under 
stand  me  exactly.  Now  if  I  could  have  six 
weeks — or  even  a  month." 

"  A  month,  I  should  say,"  replied  Sir 
Joseph.  "  After  that  you  might  begin  to  re 
ceive  your  correspondence." 


94  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Yes,  a  month  would  do — that  is — er — 
where  would  you  advise  me  to  go?  " 

"  What  climate  generally  suits  you  best?  " 

"  I — er — was  thinking  of  Scotland." 

"  In  May?  "  queried  the  physician. 

"  A  friend  would  lend  me  his  country  place 
— and  I — er — should  be  so  entirely  alone." 

"  Quite  so.  Nothing  could  be  better,"  re 
plied  his  adviser,  who,  like  all  men  who  have 
risen  in  their  profession,  had  attained  an  in 
finite  knowledge  of  human  nature. 

"  And  you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  write  me  a 
note,  stating  your  opinion — about  the  rest — 
and — er — immunity  from  letters — and  all 
that,"  said  the  Bishop,  depositing  with  studied 
thoughtlessness  a  double  fee  on  the  table,  "  for 
the  benefit  of  my — my  family.  She  is — they 
are — I  mean — that  is,  she  might  not  realise  the 
importance  of  absolute  rest,  and  " — as  a  brill 
iant  thought  occurred  to  him — "  and  you'll 
give  me  a  prescription." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Sir  Joseph.  "  I'll  do  both 
now." 

"  Thanks,"  murmured  the  Bishop,  and,  re- 


THE  BISHOP  RECEIVES  A  BLACK  EYE.       95 

ceiving  the  precious  documents,  he  took  his 
leave. 

The  great  physician's  letter  he  put  carefully 
in  an  inside  pocket;  the  prescription  he  never 
remembered  to  get  filled. 

"  A  month,"  he  said  to  himself;  "  that 
ought  to  be  time  enough."  And  he  hailed  a 
cab,  and  driving  promptly  to  the  nearest 
American  steamship  office,  he  engaged  a  pas 
sage  forthwith. 

"  I  wonder  what  Sir  Joseph  thought  about 
it,"  he  meditated,  as  he  paid  for  his  ticket.  In 
this  respect,  however,  he  did  his  adviser  an 
injustice.  Sir  Joseph  never  thought  about  it 

at  all.    It  was  not  part  of  his  profession. 

***** 

Most  people  would  have  united  in  saying 
that  the  Bishop  of  Blanford  was  an  exceed 
ingly  fortunate  man.  No  one  was  possessed 
of  an  estate  boasting  fairer  lawns  or  more 
noble  beeches,  and  the  palace  was  a  singularly 
successful  combination  of  ecclesiastical  an 
tiquity  and  nineteenth-century  comfort.  The 
cathedral  was  a  gem,  and  its  boy  choir  the 


96  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

despair  of  three  neighbouring  sees,  while,  ow 
ing  to  a  certain  amount  of  worldly  wisdom  on 
the  part  of  former  investors  of  the  revenues, 
the  bishopric  was  among  the  most  handsomely 
endowed  in  England.  Yet  his  Lordship  was 
not  happy.  All  his  life  long  there  had  been  a 
blot  upon  his  enjoyment,  and  that  blot  was  his 
sister,  Miss  Matilda  Banborough. 

Miss  Matilda  was  blatantly  good,  an  in 
tolerant  virtue  that  accounted  for  multitudes 
of  sins  in  other  people.  Her  one  ambition 
was  to  bring  up  the  Bishop  in  the  way  she 
thought  he  should  go,  and  hitherto  she  had 
been  wonderfully  successful.  All  through  his 
married  life  she  had  resided  at  the  palace  and 
been  the  ruling  power,  and  when  his  wife  had 
died  twenty  years  before,  snuffed  out  by  the 
cold  austerity  of  the  Bishop's  sister  and  the 
ecclesiastical  monotony  of  Blanford,  Miss  Ma 
tilda  had  assumed  the  reins  of  power,  and 
had  never  laid  them  down. 

The  Bishop's  wife  had  been  a  weak,  ami 
able  woman,  and  her  last  conscious  request  was 
to  be  buried  in  the  sunlight,  but  her  sister-in- 


THE  BISHOP  RECEIVES  A  BLACK  EYE.      91 

law  remarked  that  "  her  mind  must  have  been 
wandering,  for  though  Sarah  was  vacillating, 
she  was  never  sacrilegious."  So  they  buried 
her  in  the  shadiest  corner  of  the  cloisters,  and 
put  up  a  memorial  brass  setting  forth  all  the 
virtues  for  which  she  was  not  particularly 
noted,  and  entirely  omitting  to  mention  her 
saving  grace  of  patience  under  great  provoca 
tion. 

Since  that  time  the  Bishop's  son,  Cecil,  had 
been  a  bone  of  contention  at  Blanford.  His 
aunt  had  attempted  to  apply  the  same  rigor 
ous  treatment  to  him  that  had  been  meted  out 
to  his  father;  but  the  lad,  whose  spirit  had  not 
been  broken,  refused  to  submit.  At  first,  in 
his  boyhood  days,  his  feeling  was  chiefly  one 
of  awe  of  Miss  Matilda,  who  always  seemed 
to  be  interfering  with  his  pleasure,  and  who 
made  the  Sabbath  anything  but  a  day  of  peace 
for  the  restless  child.  Then  came  long  terms 
at  school,  with  vacations  to  which  he  never 
looked  forward,  and  then  four  years  at  the 
university,  when  the  periods  spent  at  Blanford 
became  more  dreaded. 


98  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Cecil  tried  bringing  home  friends,  but  there 
were  too  many  restrictions.  So,  after  gradua 
tion,  he  drifted  off  to  IJondon,  where  his  aunt 
prophesied  speedy  damnation  for  him,  and 
never  quite  forgave  him  because  he  did  not 
achieve  it.  During  these  years  his  visits  to  the 
palace  became  fewer  and  fewer.  Then  he 
wrote  his  novel,  which  proved  the  breaking- 
point,  for  Miss  Matilda  forced  his  good- 
natured,  easy-going  father  to  protest  against 
its  publication  in  England,  and  the  young 
man,  in  impatient  scorn,  had  shaken  the  dust 
of  his  native  country  from  his  feet  and  depart 
ed  to  the  United  States,  bearing  his  manu 
script  with  him. 

That  was  a  year  ago,  and  Cecil  had  never 
written  once.  His  publishers  would  not  give 
his  address,  and  if  he  received  the  letters  sent 
through  their  agency,  he  never  answered  them. 
His  father  pined  for  him.  His  aunt  waxed 
spiteful,  and  so  firm  was  her  domination  over 
the  Bishop  that  he  never  dared  tell  her  of  his 
secretly  formed  plan  of  going  to  America  to 


THE  BISHOP  RECEIVES  A  BLACK  EYE.       99 

find  his  son.  Hence  his  visit  to  the  great 
London  physician. 

The  little  plot  worked  out  better  than  he 
could  have  hoped.  Sir  Joseph's  letter  proved 
convincing,  for  Miss  Matilda  had  a  holy  awe 
of  constituted  authority,  and  would  no  more 
have  thought  of  disobeying  its  injunctions 
than  she  would  of  saying  her  prayers  back 
wards.  His  Lordship  accordingly  went  to 
London,  and  disappeared  for  a  month — os 
tensibly  to  Scotland,  in  reality  to  America; 
and  no  one  on  the  Allan  liner  suspected  for  a 
moment  that  the  little  man  in  civilian's 
clothes,  whose  name  appeared  on  the  passen 
ger-list  as  Mr.  Banborough,  was  the  Bishop 
of  Blanford. 

His  thirty  days  of  grace  allowed  him  but 
two  weeks  in  the  States,  and  here  fortune 
seemed  to  have  deserted  him,  for,  on  his  ar 
rival,  he  learned  that  his  son  had  gone  South. 
A  wild-goose  chase  to  Washington  consumed 
much  valuable  time,  and,  with  only  forty-eight 
hours  to  spare,  he  arrived  at  Cecil's  quarters 
in  New  York  on  the  day  when  that  young 


ioo  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

gentleman  was  madly  driving  a  Black  Maria 
out  of  the  city. 

Discouraged  and  disheartened  at  his  lack  of 
success,  the  Bishop  took  a  train  for  Montreal, 
and  found  himself,  about  ten  o'clock  on  that 
evening,  owing  to  faulty  orders  and  a  mis 
placed  switch,  stranded  at  a  little  station  just 
on  the  dividing  line  between  Canada  and  the 
United  States. 

"  And  when  can  I  proceed  on  my  journey  to 
Montreal?  "  he  queried  of  the  station-master. 

"  Sure  I  don't  know,"  responded  that  in 
dividual  briefly.  "  We're  bound  to  get  things 
cleared  for  the  White  Mountain  Express  if 
possible." 

"And  when  is  it  due?"  asked  his  Lord 
ship. 

"  Eleven  forty-five  A.M.,  if  she's  on  time." 

"I  think,"  said  the  Bishop,  "that  I'll  re 
main  for  the  night,  and  go  on  at  a  more  sea 
sonable  hour  to-morrow.  Is  there  any  one 
here  who  can  put  me  up?  " 

The  station-master  scratched  his  head  in 
perplexity,  glancing  off  to  the  horizon  where 


THE  BISHOP  RECEIVES  A  BLACK  EYE.     101 

glimmered  a  few  lights  from  scattered  farm 
houses. 

"  I  dunno  what  to  say,"  he  replied.  "  I 
reckon  Deacon  Perkins  would  have  put  you 
up,"  pointing  to  the  nearest  light,  some  mile 
and  a  half  distant,  which  at  that  moment  dis 
appeared,  "  but,"  added  the  official,  "  it  looks 
as  if  he'd  gone  to  bed.  Folks  don't  stay  up 
late  round  here.  There  ain't  much  to  do." 

"  But,"  protested  his  Lordship,  "  there's  a 
story  over  this  office.  Surely  you  can  arrange 
something  for  me." 

"  Well,  you  see  it's  this  way,"  said  the  man. 
"  There's  two  police  officers  and  a  journalist 
has  reserved  it  for  to-night,  'cause  they's  on 
the  lookout  for  a  batch  of  prisoners  'scaping 
to  Canada.  But  if  so  be's  you  wouldn't  mind 
sleeping  in  the  refreshment-room,  I  could  let 
you  have  a  mattress,  and  make  you  up  a  tidy 
bed  under  the  bar." 

The  Bishop  reflected  that,  though  such 
quarters  were  hardly  in  keeping  with  the  dig 
nity  of  an  episcopal  prince,  they  were  better 
than  nothing,  and  as  he  was  travelling  in- 


102  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

cognito  it  did  not  much  matter.  So  he  cheer 
fully  accepted,  and  going  out  on  the  platform 
took  a  seat  on  the  narrow  wooden  bench  that 
ran  along  the  front  of  the  station,  and  lighted 
a  cigar  to  while  away  the  time  till  the  prepara 
tions  for  his  retirement  were  completed. 

It  was  pitch-dark  outside,  and  the  presence 
of  three  glimmering  points  of  light  were  the 
only  indication  of  any  other  occupants  of  the 
bench.  But  he  rightly  conjectured  that  the 
smokers  were  the  policemen  and  the  journalist 
of  whom  he  had  heard,  and,  having  nothing 
better  to  do,  he  entered  into  conversation  with 
them. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Marchmont,  for  it  was  none 
other,  "  we've  got  a  big  job  on  hand  to-night, 
sir,  if  we  pull  it  off." 

"  Is  it  uncertain,  then?  "  asked  the  Bishop. 

"  Well,  of  course  we  don't  know  which  way 
they're  coming.  There  was  a  sensational 
escape  of  a  lot  of  Spanish  spies  from  New 
York  this  noon.  When  I  left  we  only  knew 
they'd  gone  North.  Since  then  they've  been 
heard  of  near  the  Hudson  River.  Of  course 


THE  BISHOP  RECEIVES  A  BLACK  EYE.     103 

it's  practically  certain  they'll  make  for  Mon 
treal,  as  it's  the  nearest  point  at  which  they 
have  a  consul,  and  my  knowledge  of  human 
nature  leads  me  to  think  they'll  take  the  most 
indirect  route;  so  I  came  on  here  by  the  first 
train,  and  if  we  can  catch  them  when  the  Ex 
press  comes  through  to-night,  it'll  be  a  great 
scoop,  and  certain  promotion  for  me." 

"Who  compose  the  party?"  asked  his 
Lordship. 

"  The  whole  thing  seems  to  be  rather  mys 
terious,"  said  the  journalist.  "  There's  a 
woman  conspirator  in  it,  and  one  or  two  men, 
but  the  identity  of  the  leader,  the  man  who 
planned  the  rescue  and  had  the  unparalleled 
audacity  to  represent  himself  as  one  of  our  re 
porters,  is  quite  unknown  to  the  police." 

"  But  you?  "  said  the  Bishop. 

"  Oh,  I,"  replied  Marchmont,  "  of  course  I 
could  hazard  a  guess  as  to  his  identity."  And 
putting  his  hand  before  his  mouth,  so  that  his 
two  companions  should  not  hear  his  words,  he 
added,  with  a  tone  of  triumph  in  his  voice: 
"  There's  not  the  remotest  doubt  in  my  mind 


104  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

that  the  young  man  who  ran  off  with  the  Black 
Maria  was  none  other  than  the  Secretary  of 
the  Spanish  Legation." 

"  Ah,"  said  his  Lordship,  who  was  getting 
bored,  "  very  interesting,  I'm  sure.  I  think 
I'll  turn  in  now.  Good-night."  And  a  few 
minutes  later  he  was  safely  ensconced  under 
the  bar  and  in  the  land  of  dreams,  where  Miss 
Matilda  and  a  prison-van  figured  conspicu 
ously. 

After  an  interval  of  time,  the  Bishop  was 
sleepily  conscious  of  the  arrival  of  a  train,  ac 
companied  by  a  certain  amount  of  excitement, 
but  it  was  not  till  several  hours  later,  when 
dawn  was  just  beginning  to  break,  that  he  was 
rudely  awakened  by  some  one  attempting  to 
appropriate  his  resting-place.  At  the  same 
moment  he  became  conscious  that  a  consider 
able  uproar  was  going  on  in  the  station,  and 
a  voice  from  above,  which  he  recognised  as 
the  journalist's,  called  out: 

"Say!  One  of  that  gang's  in  the  bar!  I 
saw  him  come  up  to  the  door  as  I  was  lying 
in  bed!" 


THE  BISHOP  RECEIVES  A  BLACK  EYE.     105 

Before  the  Bishop,  however,  became  suf 
ficiently  wide  awake  to  assimilate  thoroughly 
these  astonishing  facts,  the  intruder,  who  was 
grotesquely  armed  with  a  can  of  hot  coffee  and 
a  loaf  of  bread,  deposited  his  burdens,  and 
falling  upon  the  recumbent  ecclesiastic,  pro 
ceeded  to  sit  upon  his  head,  forcing  his  face 
into  the  pillow,  and  rendering  it  impossible 
for  him  to  utter  a  single  sound.  The  half  light 
and  the  suddenness  of  the  attack  had  not  per 
mitted  his  Lordship  to  see  the  features  of  his 
aggressor.  He  had,  however,  no  intention  of 
submitting  tamely  to  such  an  unpardonable 
outrage;  and  when  the  station-master  and  the 
two  policemen,  unaware  of  the  proximity  of 
the  object  of  their  pursuit,  had  rushed  through 
the  room  and  out  at  the  back  door,  and  the 
stranger,  releasing  the  Bishop,  was  preparing 
to  fly  also,  his  Lordship,  forgetful  of  the  pro 
fessions  of  peace  which  his  calling  assumed, 
smote  the  intruder  lustily  in  the  ribs.  He  re 
ceived  in  return  a  smashing  blow  in  the  eye 
which  made  him.  see  a  multitude  of  stars,  and 
before  he  could  recover  himself  the  stranger 


106  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

had  seized  the  coffee  and  the  loaf  and  dashed 
through  to  the  front  of  the  station. 

The  Bishop  staggered  to  his  feet,  groping 
blindly  about,  while  he  heard  the  voice  of  the 
journalist,  who  was  leaning  over  the  banisters 
in  night  attire,  calling  vociferously  to  his  com 
panions  that  the  man  was  escaping  by  the 
front. 

"  Did  he  hurt  you?  "  he  asked  of  the  Bishop. 

"  Yes,"  replied  his  Lordship,  still  blinded 
by  the  force  of  the  blow.  "  But  he  got  as  good 
as  he  gave.  I  didn't  have  four  years  of  ath 
letics  at  the  Varsity  for  nothing." 

"  Oh,  they're  sure  to  catch  him,"  said  the 
journalist 

"  I  hope  so,"  cried  the  Bishop,  "  for  he 
richly  deserves  it." 

It  is  probable,  however,  that  his  Lordship 
would  have  modified  his  desire  for  vengeance 
had  he  known  that  his  aggressor  was  his  own 
son. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN  WHICH  A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED. 

"  SAY,  are  you  asleep?  "  came  the  low  voice 
of  the  tramp  at  the  side  of  Banborough's 
berth  in  the  early  hours  of  the  morning. 

The  speaker  stood  in  the  aisle  of  the  sleeper 
and  was  bending  over  him,  half  dressed,  the 
contrast  between  the  sleek  outer  garments  of 
the  Quaker  and  the  rough  underwear  of  the 
tramp  giving  him  a  most  grotesque  appear 
ance. 

"  Eh?   what?  "  said  Cecil,  rousing  himself, 
and  noting,  as  he  did  so,  that  it  was  still  dark. 
A  moment  later  he  was  fully  awake,  saying, 
as  he  sat  up  in  his  bunk:    "  Is  anything  the 
matter?  " 

"  I'm  afraid  so.  We've  stopped  here  more'n 
ten  minutes  already,  and  we're  scheduled  to 

run  through." 

107 


io8  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Well,  what  of  it?  "  said  the  Englishman, 
somewhat  testily,  for  he  was  very  weary,  and 
resented  having  his  rest  broken.  "  I  suppose 
it's  only  a  hot  box." 

"  Hot  box  be  blowed!  It's  us  they're  after. 
If  you  looks  round  the  corner  of  your  curtain, 
you  can  see  the  cops  on  the  platform." 

Cecil  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and,  drawing 
back  hastily,  said: 

"  You're  right.  I'm  afraid  the  game  is  up. 
Where  are  we,  anyway?  " 

"  If  this  is  the  station  I  take  it  to  be,  we're 
just  on  the  line  between  the  two  countries. 
But  whether  our  car's  in  Canady  or  the  States 
is  more'n  I  can  tell." 

"  Is  there  anything  to  be  done? "  asked 
Banborough,  turning  to  Smith  and  Spotts, 
who  at  this  moment  quietly  joined  the  Quaker 
at  the  Englishman's  bedside. 

"  Plenty,"  replied  Spotts.  "  It's  only  a  ques 
tion  of  going  North.  Ten  feet  may  mean  the 
difference  between  a  prison  and  the  '  Wind 
sor.'  " 

"Well,  what  shall  we  do?" 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         109 

"  Are  you  dressed?  " 

"  All  but  my  boots  and  coat,"  answered 
Cecil.  "  I'm  not  enough  of  a  gymnast  to  dis 
robe  in  a  space  six  feet  by  two,  and  besides 
I  thought  something  of  this  sort  might  oc 
cur." 

"  Well,  get  into  your  boots,  then,  and  don't 
make  any  more  noise  than  necessary,"  said 
Spotts.  "  The  ladies  must  be  ready  by  this 
time.  You  were  called  last." 

"  Are  you  going  to  make  a  bolt  for  it?  " 
queried  Banborough,  as  he  put  one  foot  out 
of  bed. 

"Sh!"  returned  Spotts.  "Not  so  loud! 
The  officials  out  there  on  the  platform  are  not 
sure  that  we're  on  board.  My  suggestion  that 
Mrs.  Mackintosh  should  buy  the  tickets  was 
a  lucky  move,  as  she  was  not  known.  I'm 
going  to  pull  the  bell-cord  as  a  sign  to  start, 
in  the  hopes  that  the  engineer  will  get  going 
before  the  conductor  has  time  to  reverse  the 
signal,  which  means  we'll  run  to  the  next  sta 
tion.  If  we  don't  succeed  in  pulling  out,  we'll 
just  have  to  jump  off  and  sprint  for  it." 


no  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

11  Go  ahead,"  said  Banborough.  "  I'll  have 
my  boots  on  by  the  time  I  want  them." 

The  actor  took  a  cautious  look  round  the 
sleeper.  Quiet  reigned,  except  for  their  own 
little  party,  who  were  by  this  time  all  gathered 
together,  the  ladies  having  joined  them. 

"  Now!  "  said  Friend  Othniel.  And  Spotts, 
reaching  up,  gave  two  sharp  jerks  to  the  cord 
which  swung  from  the  centre  of  the  car. 

Instantly  the  air-brakes  were  relaxed,  the 
engine  gave  forth  a  series  of  mighty  exhausts, 
the  great  driving-wheels  spun  round  for  a 
second  on  the  rails,  then  caught  their  grip, 
and  the  train  began  to  move  out  of  the  sta 
tion. 

A  perfect  pandemonium  at  once  arose  with 
out.  Shouts,  gesticulations,  and  the  waving 
of  a  multitude  of  lights,  but  the  train  still  kept 
on  moving,  and  the  last  car,  in  which  the  fugi 
tives  were,  was  sweeping  past  the  station  build 
ing,  when  the  conductor,  capless,  but  lantern  in 
hand,  emerged  from  the  ticket-office  and 
sprang  for  the  rear  platform  of  the  train.  A 
second  later  the  quick  jerk  of  the  bell-cord 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         ill 

and  an  answering  whistle  from  the  engine  told 
them  that  he  had  succeeded  in  boarding  the 
train  and  signalling  it  to  stop. 

The  Quaker,  forgetful  of  his  cloth,  swore 
lustily. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Spotts,  "we'll  have  to 
run  for  it.  They'll  back  into  the  station  in  a 
minute,  and  then  we're  done  for."  And  suit 
ing  the  action  to  the  word,  he  rushed  down  the 
car  towards  the  front  of  the  train.  The  rest 
followed  him  with  the  best  speed  they  could 
muster,  falling  over  boxes  and  bundles,  get 
ting  entangled  in  stray  shoes,  and  running  foul 
of  swinging  portieres.  Fortunately  the  cars 
were  vestibuled,  so  the  platforms  offered  no 
impediment.  The  train  seemed  absolutely  in 
terminable,  for  as  they  dashed  through  sleeper 
after  sleeper,  one  more  always  appeared  ahead, 
and  Banborough  could  not  help  feeling  as  he 
ran,  hatless  and  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  with  his 
coat  under  his  arm  and  one  shoe-string  untied, 
that  the  whole  thing  must  after  all  be  some 
wildly  improbable  dream  from  which  he  would 
awake  in  due  course. 


H2  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Now  they  felt  the  train  stand  still  and  then 
begin  slowly  to  move  backwards,  which  only 
hastened  their  flight.  But  there  is  an  end  to 
everything,  and  presently  the  last  sleeper  had 
been  passed  through,  and  they  emerged,  hot 
and  breathless,  into  the  baggage-car,  immedi 
ately  behind  the  engine.  Here  for  the  first 
time  they  found  an  open  door,  the  vestibules 
having  all  been  tightly  closed. 

Spotts,  who  led  the  way,  wasted  no  time 
in  explanation,  but  making  one  dash  at  the 
burly  baggage-master  who  confronted  him, 
gave  him  a  blow  that  sent  him  flying  back 
wards.  At  the  same  instant  he  managed  to 
trip  up  his  assistant,  causing  the  two  men  to 
come  down  on  the  floor  together,  bringing 
with  them  in  their  fall  two  bicycles  and  half  a 
dozen  crates  of  eggs. 

Grasping  any  light  luggage  he  could  seize, 
Friend  Othniel  added  this  to  the  heap,  while 
Spotts,  throwing  open  the  great  door  in  the 
side  of  the  car,  cried: 

"  Jump  for  all  you're  worth!  " 

Smith  stood  cowering  on  the  edge  of  the 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         113 

door-sill,  little  relishing  the  prospect  of  a  wild 
leap  into  the  night.  But  the  Quaker,  who 
had  no  time  to  waste  on  arguments,  smashed 
down  the  top  bicycle  with  one  hand,  thus  plac 
ing  his  two  opponents  on  their  backs  on  the 
floor,  and  swinging  round  at  the  same  mo 
ment,  delivered  a  kick  to  the  tragedian  which 
sent  him  flying  into  outer  darkness  after  the 
manner  of  a  spread  eagle. 

The  train  was  only  just  moving,  and  Spotts 
sprang  quickly  to  the  ground,  and,  running 
alongside  the  car,  called  to  Miss  Arminster 
to  jump  into  his  arms,  which  she  promptly  did. 
Putting  her  to  one  side  out  of  the  reach  of 
the  train,  he  ran  forward  to  receive  Mrs. 
Mackintosh;  but  that  good  lady,  being  unac 
customed  to  such  acrobatic  feats,  and  arriving 
with  more  force  than  precision,  completely 
bowled  him  over,  and  they  went  flying  into 
space  together.  Banborough  and  Friend 
Othniel  followed  almost  immediately,  and, 
both  trying  to  get  out  of  the  door  at  the  same 
time,  collided  with  considerable  force,  and 
performed  a  series  of  somersaults,  landing 


H4  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOP4RD. 

with  safety,  but  emphasis,  in  a  potato- 
patch. 

As  the  engine  swept  by  them,  Cecil  sat  up 
and  surveyed  the  scene.  It  certainly  was  an 
unusual  situation,  and  the  half-light  of  the 
early  morning  only  served  to  make  their  atti 
tudes  the  more  grotesque.  The  party  was 
scattered  at  large  over  the  field  in  question. 
Smith,  on  one  knee,  was  rubbing  the  bruised 
portions  of  his  body.  Miss  Arminster,  who 
had  landed  safely  on  her  feet,  was  standing 
with  both  hands  clasped  to  her  head,  an  atti 
tude  suggesting  concussion  of  the  brain,  but 
which  in  reality  betokened  nothing  more 
dreadful  than  an  utter  disarrangement  of  her 
hair.  Spotts  had  assumed  an  unconventional 
attitude  at  her  feet,  while  the  Quaker,  face 
down,  with  hands  and  legs  outspread,  seemed 
to  be  trying  to  swim  due  north. 

Directly  opposite  the  Englishman,  seated 
erect  and  prim  on  what  had  once  been  a  hill  of 
potatoes,  her  bonnet  perched  rakishly  on  one 
ear,  and  her  grey  toupee  partially  disarranged, 
hanging  with  its  sustaining  hairpins  over  her 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         115 

eyes,  was  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  firmly  grasping 
in  one  hand  her  green  silk  parasol  which  she 
had  never  relinquished. 

As  Banborough  met  her  gaze,  she  de 
manded  sternly: 

"  What  next,  young  man,  I  should  like  to 
know?  " 

"  Really,  Mrs.  Mackintosh,"  he  replied,  "  if 
for  no  other  reason,  you  ought  to  be  deeply 
indebted  to  me  as  a  purveyor  of  new  sensa 
tions." 

"  This  is  not  a  time  for  levity,  sir,"  remarked 
that  lady  sternly,  dropping  her  parasol  and 
hastily  restoring  her  toupee  to  its  original 
position,  "  and  I  consider  it  perfectly  disgrace 
ful  that  you  should  cause  a  lady  of  my  char 
acter  to  be  arrested  in  a  potato-patch  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning!  " 

"  That's  just  what  I've  been  endeavouring 
to  prevent,"  he  said.  "  I  believe  this  to  be 
Canada." 

"  Then  Canada's  a  very  poor  sort  of  a 
country,"  she  replied  snappishly. 

The  others  now  approached  them,  and  all 


n6  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

eyes  were  turned  to  the  railroad  station  a  few 
hundred  yards  distant,  which  was  alive  with 
bobbing  lanterns.  Presently  a  cluster  of  lights 
detached  itself  from  the  rest  and  came  towards 
them. 

"  Do  you  think  they're  going  to  arrest  us?  " 
asked  Miss  Arminster  timidly. 

"  Don't  you  be  afraid,  miss,"  returned 
Friend  Othniel.  "  You  just  let  me  run  this 
circus,  and  I'll  get  you  out  all  right  and  no 
mistake." 

The  party  now  came  up  to  them.  It  con 
sisted  of  the  station-master,  the  conductor, 
several  trainmen,  and  the  two  policemen. 

"Here!"  said  the  conductor.  "What  did 
you  mean  by  pulling  the  cord  and  starting  the 
train?" 

"  Because  we  was  anxious  to  see  the 
beauties  of  Canady,"  replied  the  tramp. 

"  Ah,  I  thought  as  much,"  said  one  of  the 
policemen. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  added  the  other,  "  we  shall 
be  obliged  to  persuade  you  and  your  party  to 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         117 

stay  in  the  United  States  for  a  while.  You 
may  consider  yourselves  under  arrest." 

"  Thank  yer,"  said  the  tramp  sweetly. 

"  So,  to  save  trouble,"  continued  the  officer, 
"  you  might  as  well  come  back  quietly  with  us 
to  the  station." 

"Yah!"  retorted  the  tramp.  "'Will  yer 
walk  into  my  parlour?  '  said  the  spider  to  the 
fly.  I  knows  that  game,  and  I  guess  the 
climate  o'  Canady  suits  my  constitution." 

"Nonsense!"  replied  the  policeman.  "  You 
aren't  over  the  border  by  about  two  miles." 

"Oh,  ain't  we?"  said  the  tramp.  "Just 
oblige  me,  then,  by  putting  them  bracelets 
which  I  sees  hangin'  out  o'  your  pocket  on  my 
wrists."  And  he  held  out  his  hands. 

The  policeman  looked  sheepish,  whispered 
something  to  his  companion,  and  presently 
they  turned  their  backs  on  the  party  and 
walked  away  in  the  direction  of  the  station. 

"  We's  so  stuck  on  this  piece  o'  land,"  called 
Friend  Othniel  after  them,  "  that  we  thinks  o' 
farmin'  it  permanently.  Come  back  and  spend 
Christmas  with  us,  won't  yer?  " 


n8  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

The  officers  did  not  deign  to  notice  these 
remarks,  and  a  few  moments  later  the  train 
swept  by  them  on  its  way  to  Montreal,  the 
baggage-master  and  his  assistant  giving  their 
views  on  the  party  in  general  as  they  passed. 

The  day  now  really  began  to  break  in 
earnest,  bringing  with  it  a  cold,  damp  chill, 
which  seemed  to  penetrate  to  their  very  mar 
row.  Spotts  took  off  his  coat  and  wrapped  it 
around  the  shivering  Violet — an  act  of  chiv 
alry  which  made  Banborotigh  curse  his  own 
thoughtlessness.  But  Spotts's  endeavours  to 
promote  the  comfort  of  the  company  did  not 
end  here.  He  roused  Friend  Othniel  into  ac 
tion,  and  succeeded  in  collecting  a  little  stub 
ble  and  underbrush,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  few 
matches  they  made  an  apology  for  a  fire,  round 
which  the  forlorn  party  huddled.  But,  damp 
with  the  early  dews,  the  brush  gave  out  more 
smoke  than  flame,  only  serving  to  emphasize 
their  discomfort. 

The  increasing  light  showed  them  some 
thing  of  their  surroundings.  At  distances 
varying  from  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half  a  few 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         119 

dilapidated  dwellings  peeped  out  of  a  fringe 
of  woods.  Everything  else  was  pine-swamp, 
with  the  exception  of  the  one  small  field  of 
potatoes  in  which  they  were  encamped,  and 
which  stood  out  as  an  oasis  in  the  wilderness. 
Through  the  midst  of  the  landscape  straggled 
a  muddy  road,  hopelessly  impassable  for  foot- 
travellers.  Certainly  the  outlook  was  not 
cheering. 

It  was  therefore  with  a  feeling  of  positive 
relief  that  they  perceived  shambling  towards 
them  the  uncouth  figure  of  the  station-master. 
He  paused  on  the  edge  of  the  patch,  with  one 
hand  embedded  in  his  shock  of  hair,  and  the 
other  grasping  a  large  piece  of  chalk,  and  sur 
veyed  the  party  critically. 

"  Say,"  he  began  after  a  few  moments' 
silence,  "  them's  my  potatoes  you're  a-settin' 
on." 

The  tramp  growled  something  unintellig 
ible,  and  the  others  vouchsafed  no  reply 
whatsoever. 

"  I  guess  it  must  be  purty  damp  out  in  that 
field,"  continued  the  station-master,  "  'spe- 


120  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

daily  for  the  ladies,  and  I  thought  as  how  I'd 
let  yer  know  as  I  was  a-makin'  some  coffee 
over  to  the  station,  and  yer  could  come  and 
get  it  if  yer  liked." 

"  Yes,  and  get  arrested  into  the  bargain," 
said  Spotts. 

"  I  thought  of  that,"  replied  the  man,  "  and 
so  I've  drawed  a  line  onto  the  platform  with 
this  piece  of  chalk,  jest  where  the  boundary 
be,  and  so  long  as  yer  stays  to  the  northard  of 
it  yer  can't  be  ketched." 

"  How  are  we  to  know  that  that  is  just  the 
boundary?  "  asked  Banborough. 

"  'Pears  to  me  you're  mighty  'spicious. 
Anyhow,  thar's  the  line  and  thar's  the  coffee. 
Yer  can  take  it  or  leave  it,  jest  as  yer 
likes." 

"  I'd  make  it  worth  your  while  to  bring  it  to 
us  down  here,"  said  Cecil. 

"Humph!"  returned  the  maker  of  bev 
erages.  "  I  don't  go  totin'  coffee  all  round 
the  country,  and  I'd  like  to  remind  yer  as 
potatoes  ain't  eggs  and  don't  need  no  hatchin', 
so  the  sooner  you  gets  through  settin'  on  'em 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         121 

the  better  I'll  be  pleased."  And  turning  his 
back  he  slouched  away  to  the  station. 

"  What  do  you  think  about  it?  "  said  Ban- 
borough  to  Spotts. 

"  I  think  it's  a  plan,"  replied  the  actor. 
"  A  New  England  farmer  never  misses  a 
chance  of  making  a  penny  when  he  can  do  so, 
and  that  fellow  would  have  been  glad  enough 
to  sell  his  coffee  to  us  at  a  fancy  price  any 
where  we  chose  to  drink  it  if  he  hadn't  been 
offered  more  to  entice  us  up  to  the  station." 

"  Well,  I'm  not  going  to  pass  the  rest  of  my 
days  on  top  of  a  potato-hill,"  said  Mrs.  Mack 
intosh  spitefully.  "  I'm  so  stiff  now  I  can 
hardly  move." 

"  Yes,  I  don't  think  there's  much  to  wait 
for,"  agreed  Cecil.  "  But  where  shall  we  go?  " 

"  To  the  next  station,  I  guess,"  said  the 
tramp.  "  But  in  Canady  that's  as  likely  to  be 
thirteen  miles  as  it  is  two,  and  this  track  ain't 
ballasted  for  a  walking-tour." 

The  fair  Violet  heaved  a  deep  sigh. 

"  What  is  it?  "  asked  Banborough  anxious 
ly.  "  Don't  you  feel  well?  " 


122  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I  do  feel  a  little  faint,"  she  replied,  "  but  I 
dare  say  I'll  be  better  in  a  minute.  I  shouldn't 
have  sighed,  only  I  was  thinking  what  an  old 
wretch  that  station-master  is,  and  how  good 
that  coffee  would  have  tasted." 

"  You  shall  have  some,"  he  said,  determined 
not  to  be  outdone  again  by  Spotts,  "  and  I'll 
get  it  for  you  myself." 

"  No,  no!  "  she  protested.  "  I  didn't  mean 
that.  I  shouldn't  have  said  it.  I  wouldn't 
have  you  go  for  worlds.  You'd  surely  be  ar 
rested." 

"Nonsense!"  he  replied.  "I  think  I  can 
manage  it  and  get  back  safely,  and  you  and 
Mrs.  Mackintosh  must  have  something  sus 
taining,  for  you've  a  long  walk  before  you." 
And,  in  spite  of  all  remonstrances,  he  prepared 
to  set  out  on  his  delicate  and  dangerous  mis 
sion. 

"  What's  your  plan?  "  asked  Friend  Oth- 
niel,  immensely  interested  now  there  was  a 
chance  of  an  adventure. 

"  I'm  going  to  crawl  along  in  the  dry  ditch 
beside  the  railroad  track  till  I  get  up  to  the 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         123 

station,  and  then  trust  to  luck.  I  used  to  be 
able  to  do  a  hundred  yards  in  pretty  decent 
time  in  my  Oxford  days,  and  if  I  can  get  into 
the  refreshment-room  without  being  seen,  I 
don't  think  they'll  catch  me." 

"  Well,  good  luck  to  yer,"  said  the  tramp, 
"  and  if  yer  should  come  across  a  hunk  of 
pumpkin  pie,  don't  forget  your  friend  Oth- 
niel." 

Banborough  slipped  off  his  overcoat,  and 
donning  a  pair  of  heavy  dogskin  gloves,  the 
property  of  the  driver  of  the  Black  Maria, 
which  the  tramp  produced,  he  watched  his  op 
portunity  when  no  one  was  in  sight  at  the  sta 
tion,  and,  cautioning  the  rest  of  the  party  not 
to  betray  by  their  actions  that  anything  un 
usual  was  going  on,  stole  across  the  open 
field  and,  dropping  into  the  shallow  ditch,  be 
gan  his  perilous  journey. 

Within  three  feet  of  the  edge  of  the  platform 
all  means  of  concealment  ceased;  but  feeling 
that  a  bold  course  was  the  only  one  which 
gave  any  hope  of  success,  Cecil  rose  quickly, 
and,  slipping  across  the  exposed  place  in  an 


124  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

instant,  glided  into  the  great  woodshed  which 
in  that  part  of  the  world,  where  coal  is  ex 
pensive,  forms  an  important  adjunct  to  every 
station.  He  felt  himself  practically  secure  here, 
as  no  one  was  likely  to  come  for  logs  so  early 
in  the  morning;  and  after  waiting  for  a  few 
moments  to  make  certain  that  his  presence 
had  not  been  discovered,  he  threw  himself 
down  on  his  face,  and,  crawling  noiselessly  on 
all-fours  across  the  twenty  feet  of  open  plat 
form  which  intervened  between  the  woodshed 
and  the  main  building,  achieved  the  precarious 
shelter  afforded  by  the  side  wall  of  the  house. 
He  then  wormed  himself  forward  till  he  was 
close  to  the  front  corner;  and  here  his  patient 
efforts  were  at  last  rewarded,  for  he  heard  a 
few  scraps  of  a  conversation  which,  had  he 
been  in  a  less  dangerous  position,  would  have 
afforded  him  infinite  amusement. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,"  came  the  strident 
voice  of  the  station-master.  "  It  ain't  no 
mortal  manner  of  use.  Why,  they  spotted  me 
to  onct;  said  how  was  they  to  know  I  drawed 
the  line  correct." 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         125 

"  Ha!"  said  one  of  the  policemen.  "Couldn't 
you  go  out  and  dicker  with  them  some 
more?  " 

"  Nope,"  rejoined  the  other  shortly.  "  And 
there's  that  whole  tin  o'  coffee  in  the  back 
room  goin'  to  waste,  and  I  guess  they'd  have 
paid  more'n  a  dollar  for  it." 

"  Where's  Mr.  Marchmont? "  asked  the 
second  speaker,  a  remark  which  caused  Ban- 
borough  considerable  surprise. 

"  He's  been  keepin'  out  o'  the  way  o'  them 
Spaniards,"  said  the  station-master,  "  lest  they 
should  get  a  sight  of  him,  'cause  he  may  have 
to  shadow  'em  in  Canady,  and  he  don't  want 
'em  to  get  on  to  who  he  is.  He's  gone  up 
stairs  now  to  get  a  snooze,  an'  that's  where  I'm 
goin',  too.  There  ain't  no  train  for  three 
hours,  and  I've  had  enough  o'  this  durned 
foolishness." 

"  What's  that?  "  cried  the  policeman,  as  a 
sharp  sound  smote  their  ears. 

"  Tain't  nothin'  but  the  back  door  slam- 
min',"  replied  the  other.  "  I  must  ha'  forgot 
to  latch  it.  The  wind's  riz  a  bit." 


126  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  officer,  "  and  it's  going  to 
rain  presently." 

"  I  guess  I'd  better  go  and  shet  that  door." 

"  No,  you  stay  here;  I  want  to  talk  to  you. 
We'll  let  them  get  thoroughly  drenched,  and 
you  can  offer  them  the  hospitality  of  the 
woodshed.  Maybe  we  could  alter  the  bound 
ary-line  a  few  feet  in  the  interests  of  justice." 

Banborough  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but, 
drawing  softly  back,  sprang  to  his  feet  and  ran 
noiselessly  along  the  side  of  the  house  and 
round  to  the  unlatched  door  behind.  Now,  if 
ever,  was  his  chance.  He  dashed  into  a  room 
which  seemed  to  be  a  combination  of  kitchen 
and  bar,  but  on  the  stove  stood  a  steaming  tin 
can  of  savoury  coffee,  while  among  the  bottles 
on  the  shelf,  just  showing  out  of  its  paper 
wrappings,  was  a  goodly  loaf  of  white  bread. 
Had  he  left  well  alone,  and  been  satisfied  with 
the  coffee,  he  would  have  been  all  right;  but 
the  bread  tempted  him,  and  to  obtain  posses 
sion  of  it  he  must  go  behind  the  bar.  This 
he  hastened  to  do,  unlatching  the  little  swing 
ing  gate  at  the  end,  when  a  scuffling  sound 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         127 

from  the  room  above  gave  place  to  heavy  foot 
falls  on  the  boards,  and  a  moment  later  March- 
mont  called  down  the  stairs  which  evidently 
led  into  the  front  room: 

"  Say!  One  of  that  gang's  in  the  bar!  I 
saw  him  come  up  to  the  door  as  I  was  lying  in 
bed !  "  A  bit  of  information  which  was  in 
stantly  followed  by  a  clatter  of  chairs  on  the 
front  platform. 

Wedged  in  behind  the  bar,  Banborough  felt 
himself  trapped.  But  a  happy  inspiration  seiz 
ing  him,  he  possessed  himself  of  the  can  of 
coffee  and,  with  the  loaf  of  bread  in  his  other 
hand,  crawled  under  the  protecting  shelf, 
while  just  at  that  moment  a  particularly  strong 
gust  of  wind  blew  the  unlatched  door  wide 
open,  banging  it  back  against  the  wall. 

To  his  intense  astonishment,  Cecil  found  his 
hiding-place  already  occupied  by  the  recum 
bent  and  sleeping  form  of  a  man,  and,  jumping 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  must  be  either  a 
policeman  or  a  detective,  he  promptly  sat  upon 
his  head  with  a  view  to  suppressing  any  in 
opportune  remarks.  A  second  later  three  men 


128  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

rushed  into  the  room,  and  Banborough  held 
his  breath.  But  luck  was  with  him,  for  one 
glance  at  the  empty  stove  and  the  open  door 
satisfied  the  station-master,  who  cried: 

"  Those  fellows  has  bolted  with  the  cof 
fee!  "  and  dashed  out  at  the  back,  followed  by 
the  policemen. 

In  a  second  Cecil  was  up  and  out  of  the  bar, 
but  not  before  he  had  received  a  smashing 
blow  in  the  ribs  from  the  stranger  he  had  so 
rudely  awakened.  He  promptly  struck  out 
in  return,  and  from  the  sputtering  and  thrash 
ing  sounds  which  emanated  from  under  the 
shelf  he  judged  that  his  blow  had  gone  home. 

Snatching  up  the  coffee  and  the  bread,  he 
dashed  through  to  the  front  of  the  house,  and, 
emerging  on  the  platform,  saw  a  sight  which 
filled  his  heart  with  joy.  On  the  track  stood 
one  of  those  little  flat  cars,  employed  by  sec 
tion-men,  which  is  propelled  by  means  of  a 
wheel  and  crank  in  the  centre  turned  by  hand, 
on  the  same  principle  as  a  velocipede. 

He  sprang  upon  it,  deposited  his  precious 
burden,  and  began  turning  the  crank  with 


A  LINE  IS  DRAWN  AND  CROSSED.         129 

feverish  energy.  To  his  joy,  the  car  at  once 
started  forward,  and  under  his  well-directed 
pressure  went  rattling  out  of  the  station, 
shooting  by  his  three  astonished  pursuers  as 
they  rounded  the  corner  of  the  woodshed. 
Two  minutes  later  he  arrived  in  triumph  at 
the  potato-patch,  being  warmly  welcomed  by 
his  admiring  companions,  who  forthwith  fell 
to  and  made  a  satisfying,  if  frugal,  meal. 

Just  as  they  were  finishing,  the  station- 
master  came  up,  and,  being  rendered  thor 
oughly  amiable  by  a  liberal  recompense  for 
the  stolen  viands,  so  far  forgot  himself,  in  his 
appreciation  of  Banborough's  pluck,  as  to  ad 
mit  that  there  was  no  objection  to  their  taking 
the  flat  car  on  to  the  next  station,  provided 
they  could  square  it  with  the  superintendent 
on  arrival,  as  there  were  no  trains  due  either 
way. 

"  How  far  is  the  next  station?  "  asked  Cecil, 
as  the  party  clambered  on  to  the  car. 

"  About  twelve  miles,"  said  Miss  Armin- 
ster. 

"  Do  you  know  it? "  asked  Banborough, 


130  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

still  glowing  under  her  praises  of  his  prow 
ess. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  replied  softly.  "  I  was  mar 
ried  there  last  June." 

The  Englishman,  muttering  something  un 
der  his  breath,  seized  the  handles  and,  giving 
them  a  vicious  turn,  sent  the  car  spinning 
northwards. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

IN   WHICH    A    LOCKET    IS   ACCEPTED  AND    A 
RING    REFUSED. 

SOMETHING  over  a  week  after  the  events 
narrated  in  the  last  chapter,  Banborough  was 
lounging  in  the  office  of  the  Windsor  Hotel 
at  Montreal.  The  course  of  events  had  run 
more  smoothly  for  the  party  since  the  day  they 
arrived  in  the  city,  weary  and  travel-stained 
with  their  adventurous  trip.  Montreal  in  gen 
eral,  and  the  manager  of  the  Windsor  in  par 
ticular,  were  accustomed  to  see  travellers  from 
the  States  appear  in  all  sorts  of  garbs  and  all 
kinds  of  conditions  incident  to  a  hasty  depart 
ure,  so  their  coming  occasioned  little  com 
ment;  and  as  Cecil  never  did  things  by  halves, 
they  were  soon  rehabilitated  and  installed  in 

the  best  apartments  the  hotel  could  offer. 

131 


I32  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

The  various  members  of  the  party,  after  the 
first  excitement  was  over,  had  relapsed  into 
a  listless  existence,  which,  however,  was  des 
tined  to  be  rudely  disturbed,  for  while  the 
Englishman's  thoughts  were  wandering  in 
anything  but  a  practical  direction,  he  was 
aroused  from  his  reverie  by  a  well-known 
voice,  and,  turning,  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  Marchmont. 

"  Well,  who  on  earth  would  have  thought 
of  seeing  you  here?  "  exclaimed  the  journal 
ist.  "  Have  you  fled  to  Canada  to  escape 
being  lionised  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Banborough  cautiously,  "  not 
exactly  for  that  reason." 

"  We  couldn't  imagine  what  had  become  of 
you,"  continued  his  friend.  "  You're  the  hero 
of  the  hour  in  New  York,  I  can  tell  you,  and 
'  The  Purple  Kangaroo '  is  achieving  the 
greatest  success  of  the  decade." 

"  Oh,  confound  '  The  Purple  Kanga 
roo—'  ! " 

"  That's  right;  run  it  down.  Your  modesty 
becomes  you.  But  seriously,  old  man,  let  me 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  133 

congratulate  you.  You  must  be  making  heaps 
out  of  it." 

"Let's  talk  about  something  else," said  Ban- 
borough  wearily,  for  he  was  heartily  sick  of 
his  unfortunate  novel.  "  You  ask  me  why  I'm 
here.  I'll  return  the  compliment.  Why  are 
you?" 

"  Why,"  returned  Marchmont,  "  you're  par 
tially  to  blame  for  it,  you  know.  I'm  after 
those  Spanish  conspirators.  Of  course  you've 
heard  the  story?  " 

"  No,"  said  Banborough.  "  I  haven't  been 
in  town  for  a  fortnight.  What  is  it?  " 

"  Well,  we  arrested  a  lovely  senorita  on 
Fourteenth  Street  who  was  using  the  title  of 
your  novel  as  a  password.  I  can  tell  you  con 
fidentially  that  there's  no  doubt  that  she's  one 
of  the  cleverest  and  most  unscrupulous  female 
spies  in  the  Spanish  secret  service;  and  while 
they  were  deciding  where  to  take  her,  a 
stranger,  who  we're  certain  was  one  of  the 
Secretaries  of  their  Legation,  eloped  with  her, 
Black  Maria  and  all,  with  the  recklessness  of 
a  true  hidalgo.  They  were  joined  by  a  band 


134  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

outside  the  city,  where  they  overcame  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  who  arrested  them,  after  a  des 
perate  resistance  on  his  part.  The  story  of 
this  unequal  battle  was  one  of  the  finest  bits 
of  bravery  we've  had  for  years. 

"  After  dining  at  a  hotel  at  Yonkers  they 
held  up  the  waiter  with  revolvers  and  escaped. 
Similar  audacities  were  perpetrated  at  the 
boundary-line  between  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  and  in  spite  of  the  most  intelligent 
and  valiant  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  police, 
aided  by  our  own  special  corps  of  detectives, 
they've  so  far  eluded  us.  Their  leader's  said 
to  be  a  perfect  devil,  who,  as  I  tell  you,  is  cer 
tainly  a  Secretary  of  the  Spanish  Lega 
tion." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  "  asked  Banbor- 
ough. 

"  Ah,"  said  Marchmont,  looking  wise  and 
shaking  his  head,  "  the  Daily  Leader  has  pri 
vate  sources  of  information.  I  wonder  you've 
not  heard  anything  of  this." 

"  Yes,"  acquiesced  the  Englishman,  "  it  is 
curious,  isn't  it?  " 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  135 

"  But,"  continued  his  friend,  "  you  haven't 
told  me  yet  why  you  came  to  Montreal." 

"  Well,"  said  Cecil,  laughing,  "  I  can  at  least 
assure  you  that  my  trip  here  has  been  much 
less  eventful  than  the  one  you  described." 

"  By  the  way,"  said  the  journalist,  "  have 
you  seen  the  last  editorial  about  your  book  in 
the  Daily  Leader?  " 

The  Englishman  shook  his  head. 

"  No?  Well,  here  goes."  And  Marchmont 
began  to  read  forthwith: 

" '  English  conservatism  has  recently  re 
ceived  a  shock  from  the  scion  of  Blanford,  and 
the  Bishop's  son,  in  connection  with  '  The 
Purple  Kangaroo,'  has  caused  the  British  lion 
to  hump  himself  into  the  hotbed  of  American 
politics — '  " 

"  Oh,  shut  up!  "  said  Cecil,  with  more  force 
than  politeness. 

"  Don't  you  like  it?  "  exclaimed  the  journal 
ist.  "  There's  a  column  and  a  half  more.  I 
blue-pencilled  a  copy  and  sent  it  over  to  your 
old  man." 

Banborough  groaned. 


I36  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  But,"  continued  Marchmont,  "  this  isn't 
anything  to  what  we'll  do  when  we've  hound 
ed  the  Dons  out  of  Canada." 

"  What?  "  cried  the  author. 

"  Yes,"  went  on  his  friend.  "  We've  com 
plained  to  your  Foreign  Office,  and  within  a 
week  every  Spanish  conspirator  will  receive 
notice  to  quit  Her  Majesty's  North  American 
colonies  on  pain  of  instant  arrest  and  deporta 
tion." 

Cecil  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but,  pleading 
an  imperative  engagement,  rushed  away  to 
summon  the  members  of  his  party  to  a  hurried 
council  of  war  in  their  private  sitting-room. 
All  were  present  with  the  exception  of  Miss 
Arminster,  who  had  gone  to  spend  the  day  at 
a  convent  in  the  suburbs,  where  she  had  been 
brought  up  as  a  child. 

After  an  hour  of  useless  debating  the  coun 
cil  ended,  as  Banborough  might  have  foreseen 
from  the  first,  in  the  party  giving  up  any  solu 
tion  of  the  problem  as  hopeless,  and  putting 
themselves  unreservedly  in  his  hands  to  lead 
them  out  of  their  difficulties.  Cecil,  who  felt 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  13  7 

himself  ill  equipped  for  the  role  of  a  Moses, 
jammed  his  hat  on  his  head,  lit  his  pipe,  and, 
thrusting  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  said  he  was 
going  out  where  he  could  be  quiet  and  think 
about  it. 

"  Going  to  the  Blue  Nunnery,  he  means," 
said  Smith,  laughing,  and  nudging  Spotts. 

The  actor  grunted.  Apparently  the  au 
thor's  attentions  to  the  fascinating  Violet  did 
not  meet  with  his  unqualified  approval. 

An  hour  later  Banborough  stood  in  the 
grey  old  garden  of  the  nunnery,  the  sister 
who  was  his  guide  silently  pointing  out  to  him 
the  figure  of  the  little  actress,  whose  bright 
garments  were  in  striking  contrast  to  the 
severe  simplicity  of  her  surroundings.  When 
the  Englishman  turned  to  thank  the  nun,  she 
had  disappeared,  and  he  and  Miss  Arminster 
had  the  garden  to  themselves. 

She  stood  with  her  back  to  him,  bending 
over  some  roses,  unconscious  of  his  presence, 
and  for  a  few  moments  he  remained  silent, 
watching  her  unobserved.  The  ten  days 
which  had  passed  had  done  much  to  alter  his 


I38  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

position  towards  her,  and  he  had  come  to  fully 
realise  that  he  was  honestly  in  love  with  this 
woman.  Even  the  fact  of  her  having  been 
married  at  Ste.  Anne  de  Beau  Pre,  which  in 
formation  he  had  elicited  from  her  on  the 
occasion  of  their  pilgrimage  to  that  shrine  a 
few  days  before,  had  not  served  to  cool  his 
ardour.  Indeed,  the  fact  that  his  suit  seemed 
hopeless  made  him  all  the  more  anxious  to 
win  her  for  his  wife. 

After  he  had  been  watching  her  for  some 
minutes,  a  subtle  intuition  seemed  to  tell  her  of 
his  presence,  and  he  approached  her  as  she 
raised  her  face  from  the  roses  to  greet 
him. 

"  I  came  to  see  you — "  he  began,  and 
paused,  hardly  knowing  how  to  continue. 

"  Am  I  not  then  allowed  even  one  holi 
day?  "  she  asked. 

"  Is  my  presence  so  much  of  a  burden?  "  he 
inquired,  realising  for  the  first  time  the  full 
force  of  what  her  statement  implied,  as  a  hur 
ried  mental  review  of  the  past  fortnight 
showed  him  that  he  had  scarcely  ever  been 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  139 

absent  from  her  side.  Indeed,  it  no  longer 
seemed  natural  not  to  be  with  her. 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean  to  be  rude,"  she  said, 
"  but  I  do  like  a  day  out  of  the  world  occa 
sionally.  You  know,  when  I  come  back  here 
I  forget  for  the  time  that  I've  ever  lived  any 
other  life  than  that  which  is  associated  with 
this  dear  old  place." 

He  thought  grimly  that  a  young  lady  who 
had  been  married  four  times  before  she  was 
twenty-five  must  have  to  undergo  a  consider 
able  amount  of  mental  obliteration. 

"  I  think  you'd  tire  of  it  very  soon  if  you 
had  to  live  here  always,"  he  said. 

"  I'm  not  sure,"  she  replied.  "  I  think — 
but  of  course  you  wouldn't  understand  that — 
only,  life  on  the  stage  isn't  all  bright  and  amus 
ing,  and  there  are  times  when  one  simply  longs 
for  a  quiet,  old-world  place  like  this." 

"  I  believe  you'd  like  Blanford,"  he  sug 
gested. 

"  I  should  love  it,"  she  assured  him.  "  But 
what  would  your  father  say  to  me?  I'd  prob- 


140  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

ably  shock  him  out  of  his  gaiters — if  he  wears 
them.  Does  he?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Cecil.  The  fact  was 
that  the  raiment  of  the  Bishop  of  Blanford  did 
not  particularly  interest  him  at  that  moment. 
He  had  more  important  things  to  talk  about, 
things  that  had  no  connection  whatsoever  with 
the  immediate  future  of  the  A.  B.  C.  Com 
pany.  Yet  the  mention  of  his  father  caused 
him  to  stop  and  think,  and  thought,  in  this 
case,  proved  fatal  to  sentiment.  He  thrust  his 
hands  into  his  pockets  and  addressed  himself 
to  the  more  prosaic  topics  of  life,  saying: 

"  My  excuse  for  intruding  on  you  is  that 
our  troubles  are  by  no  means  over.  The 
authorities,  not  content  with  driving  us  out 
of  the  United  States,  are  preparing  to  order 
us  out  of  Canada  as  well,  and  the  question  of 
where  we  are  to  go  is  decidedly  perplexing." 

"  Oh,  dear! "  said  the  little  woman,  "  I 
think  I'll  go  into  the  convent  after  all." 

"  That  settles  the  difficulty  as  far  as  you're 
concerned.  Do  you  think  they'd  admit 
me?" 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  141 

"  Don't  talk  nonsense.  What  do  the  others 
say?  " 

"  Oh,  they  say  a  good  many  things,  but 
nothing  practical,  so  I  came  to  you  for  ad 
vice." 

"  Well,  to  speak  frankly,"  she  replied,  "  if 
I  were  you,  I'd  drop  us  all  and  run  away  home. 
It's  much  the  easiest  solution  of  the  difficulty." 

"  Excuse  me,"  he  said.  "  I'm  a  gentleman, 
and  besides — " 

"  Well,  what?  " 

"  Besides,"  he  continued,  thinking  it  better 
to  be  discreet,  "  I  doubt  if  I  should  be  wel 
come.  I've  a  letter  from  the  governor  in  my 
pocket,  which  I  haven't  yet  had  courage  to 
open.  I  dare  say  it  won't  be  pleasant  reading; 
besides  which,  it's  been  chasing  me  round  the 
country  for  the  last  five  or  six  weeks,  and  must 
be  rather  ancient  history." 

"  Look  at  it  and  see,"  she  advised.  "  They 
may  be  ready  to  kill  the  fatted  calf  for  you, 
after  all." 

"  I'm  afraid  they  do  regard  me  rather  in  the 
light  of  a  prodigal,"  he  admitted.  "  However, 


142  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

here  goes."     And  breaking  the  seal  of  the 
envelope,  he  read  the  letter  aloud: 

"  THE  PALACE,  BLANFORD. 
"  MY  DEAR  SON: 

"  Do  you  realise  that  it  is  nearly  a  year  since 
your  Aunt  Matilda  and  I  have  received  news 
of  you?  This  has  been  a  source  of  great  grief 
and  pain  to  both  of  us,  but  it  has  not  moved 
me  to  anger.  It  has  rather  caused  me  to  de 
vote  such  hours  as  I  could  spare  from  the  pre 
paration  of  my  series  of  sermons  on  the 
miracle  of  Jonah  to  personal  introspection,  in 
the  endeavour  to  discover,  if  possible,  whether 
the  cause  of  our  estrangement  lay  in  any  de 
fect  of  my  own. 

"  It  may  be  that  you  achieve  a  certain  de 
gree  of  spiritual  enlightenment  in  producing 
a  book  entitled  '  The  Purple  Kangaroo.'  I 
hope  so,  though  I  have  not  read  it.  Nor  do 
I  wholly  agree  with  your  good  aunt,  who  con 
tends  that  the  title  savours  too  much  of  the 
Apocrypha,  and  I  say  nothing  of  the  undesir 
able  popularity  you  seem  to  have  attained  in 
the  United  States.  I  only  ask  you  to  come 
home. 

"  As  a  proof  of  her  reconciliation,  your  aunt 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  143 

included  a  copy  of  your  book  in  her  last  mis 
sion  box  to  the  Ojibway  Indians.  I  shall  al 
ways  be  glad  to  receive  and  make  welcome 
any  of  your  friends  at  the  palace,  no  matter 
how  different  their  tastes  and  principles  may 
be  to  my  own  well-defined  course  of  action. 
"  In  the  hope  of  better  things, 

"  YOUR  AFFECTIONATE  FATHER." 

"  Of  course  you'll  go,"  Violet  said  softly. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  about  that,"  he  replied. 

"  I  do,"  she  returned.  "  It's  your  duty. 
What  a  dear  old  chap  he  must  be! — so  thor 
oughly  prosy  and  honest.  I'm  sure  I  should 
love  him.  I  know  just  the  sort  of  man  he  is. 
A  downright  Nonconformist  minister  of  the 
midland  counties,  who  was  consecrated  a 
Bishop  by  mistake." 

Cecil  paused  a  minute,  thinking  it  over. 

"  How  about  the  others?  "  he  said. 

"  Ah,  yes,"  she  replied,  "  the  others.  But 
perhaps  you  don't  class  them  as  your  friends." 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  that,"  he  answered.  "  Only  I 
was  wondering — " 

"  What  the  Bishop  would  say?  "  she  asked, 


144  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

looking  at  him  with  a  roguish  smile.  "  Well, 
why  not  take  him  at  his  word  and  find  out." 

"  By  Jove!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  will!  I  be 
lieve  you've  hit  on  the  very  best  possible  solu 
tion  of  our  difficulty.  The  episcopal  palace 
at  Blanford  is  absolutely  the  last  place  in  the 
world  where  any  one  would  think  of  looking 
for  a  political  conspirator,  and,  by  some  freak 
of  fortune,  the  police  are  entirely  ignorant  that 
I'm  in  any  way  connected  with  your  flight." 

"Good!  then  it's  settled!"  she  cried. 
"  And  we'll  all  accompany  you." 

"  Ye-es,  only  the  governor  wouldn't  go 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  a  theatre,  and  my 
aunt  calls  actors  children  of — I  forget  whom 
— some  one  in  the  Old  Testament." 

"  Belial,"  suggested  Miss  Arminster. 

"  That's  it.     How  did  you  know?  " 

"  You  forget,"  she  said,  "  I  was  brought 
up  in  a  convent." 

"  It'll  never  do,"  he  continued,  "  for  them  to 
suspect  who  you  really  are." 

"  Are  we  not  actors?  " 

"  Of  course.      We  must  have  a  dress  re- 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  MS 

hearsal  at  once,  and  cast  you  for  your  parts. 
But  there's  Friend  Othniel — " 

"  Ah,  yes,"  she  said.     "  He's  impossible." 

"  We  must  drop  him  somehow." 

"  That's  easily  managed,"  she  replied. 
"  Pay  his  hotel  bill,  and  leave  him  a  note  with 
a  nice  little  cheque  in  it  to  be  delivered  after 
we've  gone." 

"  Then  we  must  get  away  quickly,  or  he'll 
suspect." 

"  The  sooner  the  better." 

"  I  noticed  that  there  was  a  ship  sailing 
from  Montreal  for  England  this  after 
noon." 

"  That'll  just  suit  our  purpose,"  she  said. 
"  Friend  Othniel  told  me  he  was  going  to  walk 
up  Mount  Royal  after  lunch  and  wouldn't  be 
back  before  six." 

"  And  you'll  really  come  to  Blanford?  "  he 
asked,  taking  her  hand. 

"  Of  course,"  she  said.  "  Why  should  you 
doubt  it?  " 

"  Because,"  he  replied,  "  it  seems  too  good 
to  be  true.  I  was  thinking,  hoping,  that  per- 


146  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

haps  I  might  persuade  you  to  come  there  for 
good,  and  never  go  away." 

"  Ah,"  she  interrupted  him,  "  you're  not 
going  to  say  that?  " 

"Why  not?  "he  asked. 

"  Because  we've  been  such  friends,"  she  an 
swered,  "  and  it's  quite  impossible." 

"  Are  you  sure?  " 

"  Perfectly.  And  oh,  I  didn't  want  you  to 
say  it." 

"  But  can't  we  be  friends  still?  "  he  insisted. 

"  With  all  my  heart,  if  you'll  forget  this  mad 
dream.  It  would  have  been  impossible,  even 
if  I  were  free.  Your  people  would  never  have 
accepted  me,  and  I  would  only  have  been  a 
drag  on  you." 

"  No,  no!  "  he  denied  vehemently. 

"  There,"  she  said,  "  we  won't  talk  about  it. 
You've  been  one  of  the  best  friends  I  ever  had, 
and — what's  in  that  locket  you  wear?  " 

"  That?  "  he  replied,  touching  a  little  blue- 
enamelled  case  that  hung  from  his  watch- 
chain.  "  It  has  nothing  more  interesting  in  It 


A  LOCKET  AND  A  RING.  147 

at  present  than  a  picture  of  myself.  But  I'd 
hoped—" 

"  Give  it  to  me,  will  you,"  she  asked,  "  in 
remembrance  of  to-day?  " 

He  detached  it  silently  from  his  chain,  and, 
pressing  it  to  his  lips,  placed  it  in  her  hand. 

"  I'll  always  wear  it,"  she  said. 

There  was  an  awkward  silence  for  a  mo 
ment,  and  then,  pulling  himself  together,  he 
remarked  brusquely: 

"  I  suppose  we'd  better  be  starting  for 
town." 

"  I'll  join  you  later,"  she  replied.  "  I  want 
to  go  to  mid-day  service  in  the  little  church 
next  to  this  convent.  Such  a  pretty  little 
church.  I  was  married  there  once." 

"  You  were  what?  Are  you  really  serious, 
Miss  Arminster?  " 

"  Perfectly,"  she  answered,  giving  him  a 
bewitching  little  smile  as  she  tripped  out  of 
the  garden. 


PART  II. 

ENGLAND. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN  WHICH  MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH. 

"  I  THINK,  Matilda,  that  you  must  have 
neglected  to  put  any  sugar  in  my  tea,"  said  the 
Bishop  of  Blanford,  pushing  his  cup  towards 
his  sister,  after  tasting  the  first  mouthful. 

"  You're  quite  right,  Josephus,  I  did,"  she 
replied. 

"  And,"  continued  his  Lordship,  who,  being 
near-sighted,  was  poking  about,  after  the  man 
ner  of  a  mole,  in  the  three-storied  brass  bird 
cage  which  held  the  more  substantial  portion 
of  the  repast,  "  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  any 
cake." 

"  You  forget,"  said  Miss  Matilda  sternly, 
"  that  it's  an  ember-day." 

Her    brother    said    nothing,    and    took    a 

151 


152  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

mouthful  of  the  tea,  which,  like  the  morality 
of  the  palace,  was  strong  and  bitter.  But  his 
ample  chest  expanded  with  just  the  slightest 
sigh  of  regret,  causing  the  massive  episcopal 
cross  of  gold  filigree,  set  with  a  single  sap 
phire,  which  rested  thereon,  to  rise  and  fall 
gently.  Miss  Matilda's  hawklike  eye  saw  and 
noted  this  as  the  first  slight  sign  of  rebellion, 
and  she  hastened  to  mete  out  justice  swift  and 
stern,  saying: 

"  You  remember,  Josephus,  that  there's  a 
special  service  at  the  mission  church  at  five, 
at  which  I  consider  you  ought  to  be  pres 
ent." 

His  Lordship  had  not  forgotten  it,  or  the 
circumstance  that  the  afternoon  was  exceed 
ingly  hot,  and  that  the  mission  church,  which 
was  situated  in  an  outlying  slum,  was  made 
of  corrugated  tin.  The  palace  garden  would 
have  been  infinitely  preferable,  and  he  knew 
that  had  he  accepted  sugarless  tea  without  a 
murmur,  his  chaplain  would  have  sweltered  in 
his  place.  As  it  was,  he  submitted  meekly, 
and  his  sister  gazed  at  him  with  a  satisfied  ex- 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.       153 

pression  of  triumph  across  her  bright  green 
tea-cloth.  If  Miss  Matilda  had  a  weakness,  it 
was  for  ecclesiastical  tea-cloths.  White  was 
reserved  for  Sundays  and  feast-days;  on  or 
dinary  occasions,  at  this  time  of  the  year,  her 
ritual  prescribed  green. 

They  were  seated  in  the  garden  of  the 
palace,  a  peaceful  Arcadia  which  it  was  diffi 
cult  to  realise  was  only  separated  from  a  dusty 
and  concrete  world  by  a  battlemented  wall 
which  formed  the  horizon.  The  sky  overhead 
was  so  blue  and  cloudless  that  it  might  have 
formed  the  background  for  an  Italian  land 
scape,  and  framed  against  it  was  the  massive 
tower  of  the  cathedral,  its  silver-greys  darken 
ing  almost  to  black,  as  a  buttress  here  and 
there  brought  it  in  shadow.  Among  its  pin 
nacles  a  few  wise  old  rooks  flapped  lazily  in 
the  still  air,  as  much  a  part  of  their  surround 
ings  as  the  stately  swans  that  floated  on  the 
stream  which  lapped  the  foot  of  the  tower, 
while  on  all  sides  there  stretched  away  a  great 
sweep  of  that  perfect  verdure  which  only  Eng 
land  knows. 


154  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  It's  nearly  two  months  since  I  last  wrote 
to  Cecil,"  said  the  Bishop,  judging  it  wise  to 
change  the  trend  of  the  conversation,  ''  and 
I've  not  heard  a  word." 

"  I'm  sure  I  should  be  surprised  if  you  had," 
snapped  Miss  Matilda.  "  And  what  your 
sainted  Sarah  would  have  felt,  had  she  lived 
to  see  her  son's  disgraceful  career,  makes  me 
shudder." 

The  Bishop  started  to  sigh  again.  Then, 
thinking  better  of  it,  stopped.  He  had  re 
turned  to  Blanford  from  his  rest-cure  a  week 
before,  and  apparently  the  air  of  Scotland  had 
not  proved  as  beneficial  as  he  had  expected. 

"  I  believe  that  Cecil  will  come  back  to  us," 
he  said,  ignoring  his  sister's  last  remark.  "  I 
told  him  that  his  friends  would  be  welcome 
here  in  future,  and  I  particularly  mentioned 
that  you'd  put  a  copy  of  his  book  in  your  last 
missionary  box." 

"  I  hope  you  didn't  neglect  to  say  that  I 
tore  out  all  the  pictures.  A  more  scandalous 
collection — " 

But  she  never  finished  her  denunciation  of 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.        155 

the  novel,  for  just  at  that  moment  the  Bishop 
sprang  to  hisjeet  with  a  glad  cry  of  "  Cecil!  " 

The  young  man  came  running  across  the 
lawn  to  meet  his  father,  seizing  him  warmly 
by  the  hand,  and  having  administered  a  dutiful 
peck  to  his  aunt,  turned  to  introduce  the  little 
group  of  strangers  who  had  accompanied  him. 

"  Father,"  he  said,  "  these  are  my  friends. 
On  the  strength  of  your  letter  I've  taken  the 
liberty  of  asking  them  to  be  my  guests  as 
well." 

"  They're  very  welcome  to  the  palace,"  said 
the  Bishop. 

Cecil  turned,  and  leading  the  two  ladies  for 
ward,  presented  them  to  his  father  and  his 
aunt.  Miss  Matilda  swept  them  both  with  a 
comprehensive  glance,  and  addressing  Mrs. 
Mackintosh,  remarked: 

"  Your  daughter,  I  presume,"  indicating 
Miss  Arminster.  Whereupon  the  good  lady 
coloured  violently  and  denied  the  fact. 

"  Your  niece?  "  insisted  Miss  Matilda,  who 
was  an  excellent  catechist,  as  generations  of 
unfortunate  children  could  bear  witness. 


IS6  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  A  young  lady  whom  I'm  chaperoning  in 
Europe,"  replied  Mrs.  Mackintosh  stiffly,  in 
an  effort  to  be  truthful,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  furnish  Violet  with  a  desirable  status  in  the 
party. 

The  tragedian  was  now  brought  for 
ward. 

"  Allow  me,"  said  Banborough,  in  pur 
suance  of  a  prearranged  scheme  of  action — 
"  allow  me  to  introduce  my  friend  Professor 
Tybalt  Smith.  You,  father,  are  of  course  ac 
quainted  with  his  scholarly  work  on  monu 
mental  brasses." 

The  Bishop  naturally  was  not  conversant 
with  the  book  in  question,  because  it  had  never 
been  written,  but  he  was  entirely  too  pedantic 
to  admit  the  fact;  so  he  smiled,  and  con 
gratulated  the  Professor  most  affably  on  what 
he  termed  "  his  well-known  attainments,"  as 
suring  him  that  he  would  find  in  the  cathedral 
a  rich  field  of  research  in  his  particular  line  of 
work. 

Spotts  was  now  brought  up,  and  intro 
duced  as  a  rising  young  architect  of  ecclesias- 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.       157 

tical  tendencies,  which  delighted  his  Lordship 
immensely  as  there  was  nothing  he  liked  bet 
ter  than  to  explain  every  detail  of  his  cathe 
dral  to  an  appreciative  listener. 

"  I've  a  bit  of  old  dog-tooth  I  shall  want 
you  to  look  at  to-morrow,"  said  his  host, 
"  and  there's  some  Roman  tiling  in  the  north 
transept  that  absolutely  demands  your  atten 
tion." 

Spotts  smiled  assent,  but  was  evidently  be 
wildered,  and  seizing  the  first  opportunity  that 
offered,  asked  Cecil  in  a  low  voice  if  his  father 
took  him  for  a  dentist  or  a  mason. 

"  For  a  dentist  or  a  mason?  "  queried  Ban- 
borough.  "  I  don't  understand." 

"  Well,  anyway,  he  said  something  about 
looking  after  his  old  dog's  teeth  and  attend 
ing  to  his  tiles." 

Cecil  exploded  in  a  burst  of  laughter,  say 
ing: 

"  That's  only  the  architectural  jargon,  man. 
You  must  play  the  game." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  the  actor.  "  It's  about  his 
ramshackle  old  church.  Well,  I'll  do  my 


158  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

best — "  But  his  assurances  were  cut  short  by 
the  flow  of  his  Lordship's  conversation. 

"  As  I  was  saying,  Mr.  Spotts,"  he  contin 
ued,  "  I  should  be  much  interested  to  hear 
your  American  views  on  the  subject  of  a  clere 
story." 

"  Sure,"  replied  the  actor,  plunging  reck 
lessly.  "  I  always  believe  in  having  four  clear 
stories  at  least,  and  in  New  York  and  Chi 
cago  we  run  'em  up  as  high  as — "  But  here 
a  premonitory  kick  from  Cecil  brought  his 
speech  to  an  abrupt  termination. 

"  Most  astonishing,"  commented  his  Lord 
ship.  "  I've  never  heard  of  more  than  one." 

"  Oh,  our  Western  churches  are  chock-full 
of  new  wrinkles." 

"  Of  new — what?  I  don't  understand.  An 
other  cup  of  tea  for  you,  Mrs.  Mackintosh? 
Certainly.  We  must  pursue  this  subject  at 
leisure,  Mr.  Spotts." 

The  party  now  turned  their  attention  to  the 
repast,  and  the  Bishop  proceeded  to  devote 
himself  to  Mrs.  Mackintosh. 

"  I'm  afraid,"  he  said,  when  he  had  seen  her 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.        159 

sufficiently  fortified  with  tea  containing  a  due 
allowance  of  sugar,  and  supplemented  by  a 
plateful  of  cake  which  he  had  ordered  to  be 
brought  as  a  practical  substitute  for  the 
scriptural  calf — "  I'm  afraid  you  will  find  our 
simple  life  at  Blanford  very  dull." 

"  Dear  sakes,  no!  "  said  that  lady,  hitching 
her  chair  up  closer  to  the  Bishop  for  a  confi 
dential  chat — an  action  on  her  part  which 
elicited  a  flashing  glance  of  disapproval  from 
Miss  Matilda. 

"  I've  heard  all  about  you,"  she  went  on, 
"  from  your  son  Cecil.  You  don't  mind  if  I 
call  him  Cecil,  do  you?  for  I'm  almost  old 
enough  to  be  his  mother.  Well,  as  I  was  say 
ing,  when  he  told  me  about  the  cathedral  and 
the  beeches  and  the  rooks  and  you,  all  being 
here,  hundreds  of  years  old — " 

"  Excuse  me,  madam,"  said  his  Lordship, 
"  I'm  hardly  as  aged  as  that." 

"  Of  course  I  didn't  mean  you,  stupid! 
How  literal  you  English  are!  " 

It  is  highly  probable  that  in  all  the  sixty 
years  of  his  well-ordered  existence  the  Bishop 


160  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

of  Blanford  had  never  been  called  "  stupid  " 
by  anybody.  He  gasped,  and  the  episcopal 
cross,  and  even  the  heavy  gold  chain  by  which 
it  depended  from  his  neck,  were  unduly  agi 
tated.  Then  he  decided  that  he  liked  it,  and 
determined  to  continue  the  conversation. 

"When  I  thought  of  all  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Mackintosh,  "  I  said  to  your  son:  '  Cecil,'  said 
I,  '  your  father's  like  that  old  board  fence  in 
my  back  yard;  he  needs  a  coat  of  whitewash 
to  freshen  him  up,  and  I'm  going  over  to  put 
it  on.'  " 

"Cromwell,"  remarked  the  Bishop,  "applied 
enough  whitewash  to  Blanford  to  last  it  for 
several  centuries.  Indeed,  we've  not  succeed 
ed  in  restoring  all  the  frescoes  yet." 

"  Nonsense,  man,"  said  Mrs.  Mackintosh, 
"  you  don't  see  the  point  at  all.  Now  what  do 
you  take  when  your  liver's  out  of  order?  " 

"  Really,  madam,"  faltered  the  Bishop, 
thoroughly  aghast  at  this  new  turn  in  the  con 
versation,  "  I — er — generally  consult  my  med 
ical  adviser." 

"Well,  you  shouldn't!"  said  Mrs.  Mackin- 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.       161 

tosh  with  determination.  "  You  should  take 
what  we  call  in  my  country  a  pick-me-up. 
Now  I  said  to  your  son:  '  I'm  going  to  be  a 
mental  and  moral  pick-me-up  for  your  father. 
What  he  needs  is  a  new  point  of  view.  If  you 
don't  take  care,  he'll  fossilise,  and  you'll  have 
to  put  him  in  the  British  Museum.' ' 

The  Bishop's  reflections  during  this  con 
versation  were  many  and  varied.  What  he 
was  pleased  to  term  his  inner  moral  conscious 
ness  told  him  he  ought  to  be  shocked  at  its 
flippancy;  the  rest  of  his  mental  make-up  was 
distinctly  refreshed.  Besides,  a  certain  tension 
in  the  social  atmosphere  suggested  that  Miss 
Matilda  was  about  to  go  forth  to  battle,  so  he 
smiled  graciously,  saying: 

"  It's  certainly  very  considerate  of  you  to 
undertake  all  this  on  my  account,  but  I  should 
not  like  to  be  in  any  one's  debt,  and  I  hardly 
see  how  I  can  repay  my  obligations." 

"  I'm  just  coming  to  that,"  said  Mrs.  Mack 
intosh.  "  I  don't  say  that  I  shouldn't  be  doing 
a  Christian  act  by  taking  you  in  hand,  but  I'm 
free  to  admit  that  I've  a  personal  interest  in 


1 62  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

the  matter,  for  you're  the  one  man  in  England 
I  most  wanted  to  meet." 

"  But  what  can  there  possibly  be  about 
me — "  began  the  Bishop. 

"  It  isn't  about  you,"  replied  his  guest. 
"  It's  about  Jonah." 

"  Josephus,"  broke  in  the  harsh  voice  of  his 
sister,  "  the  bell  of  the  mission  chapel  has 
been  ringing  for  some  time." 

The  Bishop  drew  a  long  breath  and  formed 
a  mighty  resolve.  At  last  he  had  met  a  person 
who  took  an  intelligent  interest  in  Jonah,  a 
Biblical  character  to  whose  history  he  had  de 
voted  exhaustive  research.  It  was  a  golden 
opportunity  not  to  be  let  slip.  So,  turning  to 
his  sister  and  looking  her  squarely  in  the  eyes, 
he  replied  boldly  that  he  was  quite  aware  of 
the  fact. 

"  If  you  do  not  go  at  once  you'll  be  late," 
remarked  that  lady. 

"  I've  not  the  slightest  intention  of  going 
at  all,"  said  the  Bishop.  "  I'm  talking  to  Mrs. 
Mackintosh,  who  is,  it  seems,  much  interested 
in  Jonah." 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.       163 

There  came  a  sound  as  of  spluttering  from 
the  upraised  tea-cup  of  Professor  Tyba1t 
Smith,  and  Miss  Matilda  gave  a  distinctly  ag 
gressive  sniff. 

"  If  you're  not  going,  Josephus,"  she  re 
torted,  "  I  must  send  word  to  one  of  the  chap 
lains,  though  after  what  you  had  said  I  natur 
ally — "  But  there  she  paused,  arrested  by  the 
incredible  fact  that  for  the  first  time  in  her 
experience  her  brother  was  not  listening  to 
what  she  was  saying.  Her  silence  command 
ed  his  attention. 

"  Oh,"  he  replied,  looking  up  vacantly,  "  do 
what  you  think  proper,"  and  turned  again  to 
Mrs.  Mackintosh,  who  proceeded  placidly  with 
her  theme. 

"  Of  course/'  she  said,,  "  you  hear  a  lot 
about  seeing  with  the  eye  of  faith,  but  I  like  to 
see  with  the  eye  of  understanding,  too,  and  I 
never  yet  sat  under  a  preacher  who  was  what 
I  should  call '  up  to  Jonah.'  I  read  your  book 
when  it  came  out.  It  was  one  of  the  prizes 
they  offered  for  selling  on  commission  fifty 
packets  of  Tinker's  Tannin  Tea,  and  I've  been 


1 64  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

wild  to  meet  you  ever  since.  I  have  been 
a-whaling,  so  to  speak,  for  years,  but  I  expect 
you  to  carry  me  safely  into  port." 

"  Madam,"  said  the  Bishop,  "  you  over 
whelm  me."  He  was  immensely  flattered  by 
her  appreciative,  if  outspoken,  commendation. 
"  I'm  now,"  he  continued,  "  at  work  on  a  set 
of  supplementary  sermons  on  this  very  sub 
ject;  and  if  it  wouldn't  be  imposing  too  much 
on  your  good  nature  to  let  me  read  them  to 
you,  or  parts  of  them — they  embrace  some 
six  hundred  pages." 

Mrs.  Mackintosh  looked  at  him  regret 
fully. 

"  Isn't  there  any  more  than  that?  "  she  said. 
"  I  wanted  three  volumes  at  least." 

The  Bishop  beamed  with  gratification. 

"  I  trust,"  he  replied,  "  that  they'll  be 
worthy  of  your  attention.  But  my  treatment 
of  the  subject  is — er — slightly  doctrinal,  and 
perhaps  you're  not  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England." 

"  Well,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Mackintosh.  "  I 
can't  say  as  I  am.  I  was  baptised  a  Methodist, 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.        165 

brought  up  in  a  Roman  Catholic  convent, 
finished  at  a  Presbyterian  boarding-school, 
and  married  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  to  a 
Unitarian,  and  since  I've  been  a  widow  I've 
attended  a  Baptist  church  regularly;  but  I 
don't  believe  I'd  mind  a  few  weeks  of  an 
Episcopalian,  specially  seeing  he's  a  Bishop, 
which  I  haven't  experienced  before." 

"  I  shall  endeavour  to  do  my  best,  madam," 
said  his  Lordship.  "  Perhaps  I  may  even 
lead  you — in  time — " 

"  Well,  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  but  what 
you  might,"  replied  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  "  but 
I  mustn't  take  up  all  your  time.  I  want  you  to 
know  my  little  friend  Miss  Arminster.  She's 
one  of  the  nicest  girls  that  ever  was." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,"  said  his  Lordship. 
"Arminster,"  he  continued  reflectively.  "  Does 
she  come  from  the  Arminsters  of  Shrop 
shire?  " 

Mrs.  Mackintosh  laughed. 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  she  replied,  "  but 
from  the  way  her  friends  speak  of  her,  you'd 
think  she  came  from  Noah's  Ark." 


1 66  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

11  Dear  me!  "  said  the  Bishop.  "  That's  very 
curious." 

"  They  call  her  the  Leopard,"  she  went  on, 
"  and  I  must  say  for  my  part  that  I'm  'most 
as  fond  of  the  Leopard  as  I  am  of  Jonah's 
whale."  And  she  rose  and  joined  the  group 
about  the  tea-table,  for  she  did  not  wish  to 
try  Miss  Matilda's  patience  too  far. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you'll  think  of  our  quiet 
life.  I  fear  it'll  seem  very  strange  to  you," 
said  his  Lordship,  addressing  himself  to  Miss 
Arminster. 

"  I  think  it'll  be  jolly,"  she  replied  promptly, 
looking  up  at  him  playfully  to  see  whether  he 
would  bear  chaffing,  "  and,"  she  added,  after 
due  deliberation,  "  I  think  you're  a  dear,  and 
your  uniform  is  just  sweet.  I  always  did  love 
a  uniform.  I  used  to  be  awfully  gone,  as  a 
child,  on  a  policeman  at  the  corner  of  our 
block,  but  you're  much  more  nicely  dressed 
than  he  was." 

His  Lordship  started  to  say  something 
crushing  in  regard  to  the  sanctity  of  ecclesias 
tical  trappings,  but  another  glance  at  the  be- 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.       167 

witching  little  figure  that  confronted  him 
caused  him  to  remark  instead  that  he  was  glad 
she  approved  of  him,  and  that  he  would  try 
to  take  better  care  of  her  than  even  a  guardian 
of  the  law. 

"  Oh,  I'm  afraid  I've  said  something  shock 
ing!  "  she  exclaimed  in  a  delightfully  naive 
manner,  "  and  I  did  mean  to  be  so  good  and 
decorous.  I'm  sure  I'll  need  a  lot  of  teach- 
ing." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted  to  undertake  the 
task,"  he  replied  gallantly.  "  Suppose  we  be 
gin  by  going  to  evensong.  Would  you  like 
to  do  so?  " 

"  Rather,"  she  returned;  "  but  I'm  afraid," 
looking  at  her  travelling-costume,  "  that  I'm 
hardly  dressed  for  the  part — I  mean  the  oc 
casion." 

"Dear  me!"  said  the  Bishop,  scrutinizing 
her  keenly,  "  it  seems  to  be  a  very  pretty 
gown." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  she  said.  "  Then 
we'll  go  at  once." 


1 68  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  So  we  shall,"  he  replied,  "  and  you  shall 
sit  in  the  stalls." 

"  How  jolly!  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I  almost 
always  have  to  sit  in  the  balcony." 

"  Really?  "  said  his  Lordship.  "  You  don't 
say  so.  But  from  what  Mr.  Spotts  says,  I 
should  judge  that  the  architecture  of  Ameri 
can  churches  was  novel."  And  they  walked 
across  the  lawn  to  the  cathedral. 

A  few  moments  later,  Miss  Matilda,  having 
dismissed  her  guests  to  their  rooms,  found 
herself  alone  with  her  nephew. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  turning  on  him  sharply, 
"  perhaps  at  last  you'll  condescend  to  tell  me 
who  these  friends  of  yours  are?  " 

"  They're  a  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
with  whom  I've  been  travelling  in  America," 
Cecil  replied.  "  And  as  we'd  agreed  to  join 
forces  for  the  rest  of  the  summer,  I'd  no  op 
tion  but  to  invite  them  here  as  my  guests. 
The  gentlemen  I've  already  introduced  to 
you—" 

"Oh,  the  gentlemen!"  snapped  his  aunt. 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.       169 

"  I've  no  concern  about  them.  It's  the  women 
I—" 

"  The  ladies,  Aunt  Matilda." 

"  The  ladies,  then.  Your  father,  in  what 
he  is  pleased  to  call  his  wisdom,  has  seen  fit 
to  allow  you  to  introduce  these  persons  into 
his  house.  I'm  sure  I  hope  he  won't  regret  it! 
But  I  must  insist  on  knowing  something  about 
the  people  whom  I'm  entertaining." 

"  As  I've  told  you  already,"  he  replied  very 
quietly,  "  they're  ladies  whom  I've  met  in 
America.  I  might  also  add  that  they've  good 
manners  and  are  uniformly  courteous." 

Miss  Matilda  tilted  her  nose  till  its  tip 
pointed  straight  at  the  spire  of  the  cathedral, 
and,  without  any  reply,  swept  past  him  into 
the  house. 

Dinner,  that  night,  in  spite  of  his  aunt's 
efforts  to 'the  contrary,  was  an  unqualified  suc 
cess.  The  Bishop  hailed  with  joy  any  inter 
ruption  in  the  monotony  of  his  daily  life,  and 
made  himself  most  agreeable,  while  his  guests 
seconded  him  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

The  meal  being  over,  his  Lordship  proposed 


170  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

a  rubber  of  whist,  a  relaxation  of  which  he  was 
very  fond,  but  which,  in  the  reduced  state  of 
his  family,  he  was  seldom  able  to  enjoy.  Mrs. 
Mackintosh  and  Smith,  as  the  two  best  play 
ers  of  the  party,  expressed  themselves  as  will 
ing  to  take  a  hand,  and  Miss  Matilda  made  up 
the  fourth. 

"  You'll  excuse  me,"  said  his  Lordship 
apologetically  to  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  "  if  we 
play  only  for  threepenny  points.  Were  I  a 
curate  I  could  play  for  sixpence,  but  in  my 
position  the  stakes  are  necessarily  limited." 

"  You  don't  ever  mean  to  say,"  exclaimed 
the  old  lady,  "  that  you're  a  gambling 
Bishop!" 

"  My  brother,"  interrupted  Miss  Matilda, 
"  is  a  pattern  of  upright  living  to  his  day  and 
generation.  But  of  course  if  you're  incapable 
of  understanding  the  difference  between  a  sin 
ful  wager  of  money  and  the  few  pence  neces 
sary  to  keep  up  the  interest  of  the  game — " 

"  Gambling  is  gambling,  to  my  mind,"  said 
Mrs.  Mackintosh,  "  whether  you  play  for  dol 
lars  or  doughnuts! " 


MRS.  MACKINTOSH  ADMIRES  JONAH.       171 

"  The  point  seems  well  taken,"  remarked 
the  Bishop  meditatively.  "  It's  certainly  never 
struck  me  in  that  light  before;  but  if  you 
think—" 

"  I  think,"  said  the  old  lady  decidedly,  "  that 
it's  lucky  for  you  that  there  are  no  whales  in 
Blanford!" 

Miss  Matilda  threw  down  her  cards. 

"  If  I'm  to  be  called  a  gambler  under  my 
own  brother's  roof,"  she  said,  "  I  shall  refuse 
to  play.  Besides  I've  a  headache."  And  she 
rose  majestically  from  the  table. 

"  But,  my  dear,"  began  the  Bishop  meekly, 
"  if  we  cannot  find  a  fourth  hand — " 

"  If  Miss  Banborough  doesn't  feel  up  to 
playing,"  came  the  sweet  tones  of  Violet's 
voice,  "  I'll  be  delighted  to  take  her  place." 
And  a  moment  later  she  was  ensconced  at  the 
table. 

The  Bishop's  sister  retired  to  a  corner  with 
the  largest  and  most  aggressive  volume  of 
sermons  she  could  find,  and  sniffed  loudly  at 
intervals  all  the  evening.  And  when  at  ten 
o'clock,  in  response  to  the  summons  of  an 


1 72  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

impressive  functionary  clad  in  black  and  bear 
ing  a  wand  surmounted  by  a  silver  cross,  the 
little  party  filed  out  to  evening  devotions  in 
the  chapel,  Miss  Matilda  gathered  her  skirts 
around  her  as  if  she  feared  contagion. 

"  I'm  afraid  of  that  old  cat,"  Mrs.  Mackin 
tosh  confided  to  Violet,  when  they  had 
reached  the  haven  of  their  apartments.  "  I'm 
sure  she  suspects  us  already;  and  if  we're  not 
careful,  she'll  find  us  out." 


CHAPTER    II. 

IN    WHICH    THE    ENEMY    ARRIVES. 

"  I  SAY,  boss,"  remarked  the  tramp,  as  he 
paused  for  a  moment  in  the  process  of  stuff 
ing  himself  to  repletion  with  cold  game-pie, 
"  this  is  a  rum  trip,  and  no  mistake." 

"  What's  that  got  to  do  with  you?  "  retorted 
Marchmont  sharply,  appropriating  the  re 
maining  fragments  of  the  pasty  to  his  own 
use. 

The  two  men  were  seated  in  the  shady  angle 
of  a  ruined  buttress,  a  porton  of  a  stately  ab 
bey,  which  in  pre-Norman  days  had  flourished 
at  a  spot  some  half-dozen  miles  from  the  site 
of  Blanford. 

"Well,"  said  the  tramp,  "if  this  ain't  a 
wild-goose  chase  I  dunno  what  you  calls  it. 
Here  you've  gone  an'  took  me  away  from  my 
happy  home,  an'  brought  me  across  the  ragin' 

173 


174  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Atlantic,  an'  dumped  me  in  a  moth-eaten  little 
village  where  there  ain't  nothin'  fit  to  drink, 
all  because  I  happened  to  chum  with  a 
Bishop." 

"  You  seem  to  forget,"  said  Marchmont, 
"  that  it  was  you  who  came  to  me,  offering  to 
sell  your  friends  and  their  secrets  for  a  suffi 
cient  remuneration." 

"So  I  did,"  said  the  tramp;  "  but  it  was 
revenge,  that's  what  it  was — revenge.  I  was 
deserted  in  a  furrin  land,  with  just  my  board- 
bill  paid,  and  not  a  penny  to  bless  myself 
with." 

"  Ah,"  said  Marchmont.  "  That's  the  rea 
son,  I  suppose,  why  you  came  from  Montreal 
to  New  York  in  a  parlour  car." 

The  tramp  sighed  despondently,  saying: 

"  Now  whoever  told  you  that,  boss?  " 

"  Nobody.  I  found  the  Pullman  check  in 
your  coat-pocket  when  I  was  looking  for  my 
diamond  ring,  which  you'd  absent-mindedly 
placed  there." 

"Humph!"  replied  the  other.  "There 
ain't  no  foolin'  you!  " 


THE  ENEMY  AR.RIYES.  175 

"  I  should  be  a  pretty  poor  journalist  if 
there  were,"  said  his  employer.  "  Now  give 
me  the  story  again,  and  see  if  you  can  get  it 
straight." 

"  Well,  there  ain't  nothin'  much  to  tell, 
'cept  I  was  carried  off  by  them  Spanish  con 
spirators  in  mistake  for  a  lady,  which  I  in  no 
wise  resembles,  an'  the  bloke  as  was  the  head 
of  the  gang  was  allus  called  the  Bishop,  and 
a  pretty  rum  Bishop  he  was." 

"  Never  mind  about  his  qualifications,"  in 
terrupted  Marchmont  shortly;  adding  to  him 
self,  "  That  explains  his  son's  presence  in 
Montreal." 

"  Well,  this  Bishop,"  continued  the  tramp, 
"used  to  talk  about  his  palace  at  Blanford; 
and  when  the  party  give  me  the  go-by,  I 
gathered  from  the  porter  as  took  their  traps 
that  they'd  gone  to  England;  and  the  ele 
vator-boy,  he  heard  the  Bishop  say  to  the  little 
actress  as  they'd  be  as  safe  at  the  palace  as 
they  would  anywhere.  And  then  I  come  on 
to  New  York  and  blew  it  into  you." 

"  Yes,"  said  Marchmont,  "  and  I've  given 


176  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

you  a  first-class  passage  to  England,  paid  your 
board  and  lodging,  and  kept  you  full  for  the 
best  part  of  three  weeks;  and  what  do  I  get 
out  of  it?  " 

"  I  admit  as  we  haven't  had  much  results  as 
yet,"  said  the  tramp.  "  But  now  things  is 
goin'  to  hum.  The  Bishop  and  his  whole 
gang's  coming  over  to  these  very  ruins  to 
day." 

"  How  did  you  find  that  out?  "  demanded 
the  journalist. 

"  Footman  up  to  the  palace  told  me.  I  give 
him  a  little  jamboree  last  night  at  the  '  Three 
Jolly  Sailor-boys.'" 

"  Yes,  and  had  to  be  carried  home  dead- 
drunk.  Nice  one  you  are  to  keep  a  secret." 

"  Well,  I  was  only  a-doin'  me  duty,"  said 
the  tramp  in  an  aggrieved  tone  of  voice,  "  and 
if  they  don't  know  you're  after  'em,  and  you 
should  happen  to  be  inspectin'  the  ruins  at  the 
same  time  as  they  are,  you  could  get  chummy 
with  'em  without  half  tryin'." 

"  I'll  attend  to  that,"  said  the  newspaper 
man.  "  I've  just  had  a  cable  from  the  Daily 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  177 

Leader  telling  me  to  hustle  if  I  want  to  get 
that  position,  and  I've  got  to  do  something, 
and  do  it  quick.  But  it'll  never  do  for  you  to 
be  seen.  Once  they  know  we're  together,  the 
game's  up.  I  can't  have  you  larking  round 
with  the  servants  either.  You'll  spoil  the 
whole  show.  You've  got  to  go  back  to  Dull- 
hampton  this  afternoon." 

"What!  that  little  one-horse  fishing- 
town?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  where  you're  wanted.  It's  the 
nearest  port  to  Blanford,  and  it's  where  they'll 
try  and  get  out  of  the  country  if  they're  hard 
pressed.  You  just  stay  there  and  keep  your 
eyes  open  till  you  hear  from  me." 

The  tramp  growled  surlily,  and  reluctantly 
prepared  to  obey. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Marchmont  shortly, 
"  get  a  move  on.  Yes,  you  can  take  the  prov 
ender  with  you.  It'll  help  to  keep  your  mouth 
shut." 

As  the  tramp  slouched  round  the  corner  and 
out  of  sight,  his  master  stretched  himself  com 
fortably  on  the  ground,  and  supporting  his 


178  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

head  on  one  arm,  with  his  straw  hat  tilted  over 
his  eyes  to  protect  them  from  the  sun,  he  pro 
ceeded  to  go  peacefully  to  sleep. 

.Scarcely  had  the  journalist  composed  him 
self  to  slumber,  when  the  ruins  were  invaded 
by  the  party  from  the  palace.  It  was  now 
about  a  month  since  Cecil  and  his  friends  had 
arrived  at  Blanford,  and  though  this  expedi 
tion  to  the  old  abbey  had  been  often  discussed, 
one  thing  and  another  had  intervened  to  pre 
vent  its  being  put  into  execution. 

After  her  first  burst  of  antagonism,  Miss 
Matilda  had  settled  down  to  a  formal  hospital 
ity  which  was,  if  anything,  more  disconcert 
ing.  Tybalt  Smith  alone  had  achieved  a 
favourable  position  in  her  eyes,  and  this  only 
as  the  result  of  a  very  considerable  amount  of 
flattery  and  attention.  At  first  his  friends 
were  at  a  loss  to  account  for  his  attitude,  but 
as  time  went  on  it  appeared  that  the  tragedian 
had  not  exerted  himself  for  nothing.  "  The 
dear  Professor  "  frequently  had  his  breakfast 
in  bed  when  he  was  too  lazy  to  get  up,  and 
Miss  Matilda  considered  the  delicate  state  of 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  179 

his  health  required  the  daily  stimulus  of  a 
pint  of  champagne.  He  also  had  the  ex 
clusive  use  of  her  victoria  in  the  afternoon,  and 
even  if  this  did  necessitate  an  occasional  at 
tendance  at  missionary  meetings  and  penny 
readings,  it  was  after  all  but  a  fair  return  for 
value  received.  On  this  occasion  he  had 
begged  off  going  to  the  picnic,  and  was  spend 
ing  a  luxurious  day  at  the  palace,  waited  on 
by  the  Bishop's  sister. 

The  party,  having  arrived  at  the  abbey, 
promptly  separated  to  explore  the  ruins,  his 
Lordship  gallantly  offering  to  play  the  part  of 
cicerone  to  the  ladies.  Miss  Violet,  however, 
for  reasons  of  her  own,  preferred  seclusion 
and  a  quiet  chat  with  Spotts  to  any  amount 
of  architectural  antiquities,  so  her  host  was 
enabled  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  Mrs. 
Mackintosh. 

"  Does  it  strike  you,"  remarked  the  Bishop, 
a  few  moments  later,  pausing  in  his  wander 
ings  to  inspect  critically  a  fragment  of  Roman 
brick — "  does  it  strike  you  how  absolutely 
peaceful  this  spot  is?  " 


i8o  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Well,"  returned  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  "  I 
don't  know  as  it  does.  I  should  have  said 
your  palace  was  about  as  good  a  sample  of 
all-round  peacefulness  as  there  is  going." 

"  Ha,"  said  his  Lordship,  '*'  it  hadn't  oc 
curred  to  me." 

"  That's  just  like  you  men.  You  never 
know  when  you're  well  off.  Now  with  your 
palace  and  Jonah  you  ought  to  be  content." 

The  Bishop  sighed. 

"  Dear  lady,"  he  said,  "  I  admit  my  faults. 
The  palace  I  indeed  possess  temporarily,  but 
Jonah — ah,  what  would  Jonah  be  without  you ! 
If  I  have  left  my  work  once  in  the  past  month 
to  ask  your  advice,  I  have  left  it  a  hundred 
times." 

"  You  have,"  admitted  Mrs.  Mackintosh 
with  decision. 

"  Then  it  is  to  you  that  Jonah  owes  his  debt 
of  gratitude,  not  to  me.  You  have  lightened 
my  labour  in  more  senses  of  the  word  than 
one." 

"  Well,  I've  had  a  very  pleasant  visit.  Blan- 
ford's  a  little  paradise." 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  181 

The  Bishop  sighed  again,  and  remarked: 

"  Paradise  I  have  always  regarded  as  being 
peaceful." 

"  Yes,"  acquiesced  his  companion  reflect 
ively,  "  with  all  that  Jonah  went  through,  I 
don't  remember  as  he  had  an  unmarried  sis 
ter." 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment,  and  then 
his  Lordship  abruptly  changed  the  subject. 

"  What  a  charming,  bright,  fresh  young  life 
is  Miss  Arminster's!  She  dances  through  the 
world  like — like — er — "  And  he  paused  for 
a  simile. 

"  Like  a  grasshopper,"  suggested  Mrs. 
Mackintosh,  with  marked  disapproval  in  her 
tones.  The  Bishop  had  a  trivial,  not  to  say 
frivolous,  strain  in  his  nature  which  seemed 
to  her  hardly  in  accord  with  his  exalted  posi 
tion. 

"  No,  dear  lady,"  objected  his  Lordship, 
"  not  a  grasshopper.  Decidedly  not  a  grass 
hopper;  say — like  a  ray  of  sunshine." 

"  Violet's  a  good  girl,"  remarked  his  com 
panion,  "  a  very  good  girl,  but  in  most  things 


1 82  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

she  is  still  a  child,  and  the  serious  side  of  life 
doesn't  appeal  to  her.  I  dare  say  she'd  go  to 
sleep  if  you  read  to  her  about  Jonah." 

"She  did,"  admitted  the  Bishop;  "but 
then  of  course,"  he  added,  wishing  to  palliate 
the  offence,  "  it  was  a  very  hot  day.  I  sup 
pose,  however,  you  are  right.  Serious  things 
do  not  interest  her — and  that  is — I  should  say 
— we  are  serious." 

"  I  am,"  said  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  "  and  at 
your  time  of  life  you  ought  to  be;  and  if  we 
stand  here  any  longer  looking  at  that  chunk 
of  brick  in  the  broiling  sun,  we'll  both  be  as 
red  as  a  couple  of  beets." 

No  amount  of  sentiment  could  be  proof 
against  a  statement  of  this  sort,  and  they 
moved  on. 

Violet  and  Spotts  had  meantime  sat  them 
selves  down  on  a  convenient  tombstone  to 
while  away  the  interval  till  luncheon  was 
served. 

"  There  are  lots  of  things  I  want  to  talk  to 
you  about,  Alvy,"  began  the  little  actress, 
"  and  I  never  get  the  chance." 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  183 

"  Well,  fire  away,"  he  replied.  "  You've 
got  it  now." 

"  In  the  first  place,"  she  said,  "  I  don't  like 
the  way  things  are  going  here." 

"  At  the  palace,  you  mean?  " 

"  Yes.  We're  not  aboveboard.  We're 
shamming  all  the  while.  Besides,  we're  doing 
nothing  in  our  profession." 

"  It's  better  than  doing  time  in  prison." 

"  It  isn't  straightforward,  and  I  don't  like 
it,"  she  went  on. 

"Neither  do  I,"  he  returned;  "but  there 
are  other  things  I  like  less." 

"  Such  as?  " 

"  Well,  people  falling  in  love  with  you,  for 
instance." 

"  Oh,  Cecil.  He  received  his  conge  before 
we  left  America." 

"  I  said  people" 

"  You  don't  mean  the  Bishop?  " 

Spotts  nodded. 

"  But  he's  such  a  dear  funny  old  thing! " 
she  cried. 


1 84  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  What's  that  got  to  do  with  it?  " 

"  Why,  he  might  be  my  grandfather." 

"  He's  as  frisky  as  a  two-year-old,"  re 
marked  the  actor. 

"  And  finally,"  continued  Violet,  not  notic 
ing  the  interruption,  "  his  old  cat  of  a  sister 
wouldn't  let  him." 

"  Worms  have  turned,  and  straws  have 
broken  camels'  backs  before  now,"  persisted 
Spotts. 

"  Don't  you  call  me  names,  sir!  Worms 
and  straws,  indeed!  What  next,  I  should  like 
to  know!  " 

"  If  you  don't  take  care,  you'll  be  called  his 
Lordship's  '  leopard.' ' 

She  burst  out  laughing. 

"  Nonsense!  "  she  cried.  "  Why,  I  actually 
believe  you're  becoming  jealous." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  he  said.  "  I'd  trust  you, 
little  girl,  through  thick  and  thin." 

"  I  know  you  would,  Alvy,  and  I'd  rather 
marry  you — well,  ten  times,  before  I'd  marry 
a  lord  or  a  bishop  once." 

"I  know  it,   old   girl,   I   know   it!"   cried 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  185 

Spotts  ecstatically,  and  slipped  his  arm  round 
her  waist. 

"  Oh,  do  be  careful,"  she  protested.  "  Just 
think,  if  any  one  should  see  us!  I'm  sure  I 
heard  a  footstep  behind  us." 

They  looked  up,  and  saw  Cecil  above  them, 
standing  on  the  sill  of  an  old  ruined  window. 

He  had  not  heard  their  words,  but  he  had 
seen  Spotts's  embrace,  and  realised  bitterly 
how  little  chance  he  stood  against  such  a  com 
bination  of  Apollo  and  Roscius. 

The  month  which  had  intervened  since  his 
return  to  Blanford  had  not  been  an  altogether 
happy  time  for  the  Bishop's  son.  The  pain  of 
Miss  Arminster's  refusal  still  rankled  within 
him,  and  that  young  lady's  actions  had  not 
done  much  to  soothe  it.  Had  she  comported 
herself  with  a  resigned  melancholy,  he  could 
have  borne  his  own  sufferings  with  fortitude. 
But,  on  the  contrary,  she  had,  he  considered, 
flirted  most  outrageously  with  Mr.  Spotts.  In 
deed  Cecil  was  already  strongly  of  the  opinion 
that  the  actor  was  trying  to  succeed  where 
he  had  failed — a  course  of  action  which  he. 


1 86  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOP4RD. 

thought  quite  justifiable  on  his,  Banborough's, 
part,  but  highly  reprehensible  on  the  part  of 
any  one  else.  Matters  had  now  culminated. 
Fate  had  brought  the  three  together  at  this 
inopportune  moment,  and  as  it  was  manifestly 
impossible  not  to  say  something,  Cecil  laid 
himself  out  to  be  agreeable,  and  Miss  Armin- 
ster,  who  was  naturally  aware  of  the  awkward 
ness  of  his  position,  did  her  best  to  promote 
conversation,  while  Spotts  almost  immedi 
ately  cut  the  Gordian  knot  by  excusing  him 
self  on  the  plea  of  looking  after  the  lunch. 

"Well,"  she  said,  "what's  the  latest  news 
from  Spain?  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  the  war  must  be  al 
most  over,"  he  replied.  "  Now  that  Santiago's 
fallen,  and  Cervera's  fleet's  destroyed,  Spain 
has  no  alternative  but  to  yield." 

"  Ah,"  she  murmured,  "  then  we'll  be  free 
once  more." 

"  Has  your  exile  been  so  irksome  to  you?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Oh,"  she  returned,  "  I  didn't  mean  it  that 
way,  really.  Believe  me,  I'm  not  ungrateful. 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  187 

Blanford's  just  sweet,  and  your  father's  an  old 
dear." 

"  Yes,"  he  retorted,  laughing.  "  I  notice 
you're  doing  your  best  to  usurp  Mrs.  Mackin 
tosh's  place  in  his  affections." 

"  That's  not  from  pique,  it's  from  charity," 
she  replied.  "  I've  been  trying  to  rescue  her 
from  Jonah." 

"  I'm  afraid  my  governor  must  be  an  awful 
bore,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  but  he's  so  sweet  and  simple  with  it 
all,"  she  objected.  "  I'm  really  growing  to  be 
awfully  fond  of  him." 

"  I  think  he's  growing  to  be  awfully  fond  of 
you,"  said  his  son. 

Miss  Arminster  laughed  merrily. 

"  Don't  you  fancy  me  as  a  step-mamma?  " 
she  queried.  "  But,  joking  apart,  I'm  afraid 
even  Blanford  would  pall  on  me  after  a  while. 
It  isn't  my  first  visit  here,  you  see.  I  was  on  a 
tour  through  these  counties  three  years  ago." 

"  That's  how  you  came  to  know  about  my 
father,  I  suppose." 

"  Yes,"  she  said.     "  I  had  him  pointed  out 


1 88  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

to  me,  and  you  look  a  good  deal  alike.  Be 
sides,  the  name's  not  common." 

"  I'm  glad  you  liked  Blanford  well  enough 
to  come  back  to  it." 

"  Oh,"  she  returned,  looking  up  at  him  with 
a  roguish  smile,  "  this  section  of  the  country 
has  other  associations  for  me." 

"  I  was  waiting  for  that,"  he  retorted.  "  In 
which  of  the  neighbouring  towns  were  you 
married?  " 

"  The  one  nearest  here,"  she  replied.  "  I 
think  we  can  just  see  the  spire  of  the  church 
over  the  trees.  But  how  did  you  know?  " 

"  I  inferred  it  as  a  matter  of  course,"  he  said 
banteringly,  "  but  I'm  only  joking." 

"  But  I'm  not,"  she  returned. 

"  Do  you  really  mean  that  you  were  married 
over  there?  "  he  asked,  pointing  to  the  distant 
church. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied.  "  The  third  of  June, 
1895." 

"  I  say,  you  know,"  he  said,  "  I  think  you 
might  have  married  me  once  in  a  way,  as  I 
had  asked  you." 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  189 

"  Mr.  Banborough,"  she  replied  stiffly, 
drawing  herself  up,  "  you  forget  your 
self." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  returned  humbly. 
"  Only  as  American  divorce  laws  are  so  lax, 
I  thought—" 

"  The  divorce  laws  of  my  country  are  a  dis 
grace,  and  nothing  would  ever  induce  me  to 
avail  myself  of  them.  Besides,  marriage,  to 
me,  is  a  very  serious  and  solemn  matter,  and 
I  can't  permit  you  to  speak  about  it  flippantly, 
even  by  way  of  a  joke." 

Cecil  picked  up  a  handful  of  pebbles  and 
began  throwing  them  meditatively  at  the 
fragment  of  an  adjacent  arch.  The  more  he 
saw  of  Miss  Arminster,  the  greater  mystery 
she  became.  By  her  own  admission,  she  had 
been  married  at  least  half  a  dozen  times, 
which,  were  he  to  accept  as  real  the  high  moral 
standard  which  she  always  assumed,  must  im 
ply  a  frightful  mortality  among  her  husbands. 
But  then  she  neither  seemed  flippant  nor  shal 
low,  and  her  serious  attitude  towards  the  sac 
rament  of  marriage  appeared  wholly  incom- 


19°  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

patible  with  a  matrimonial  experience  which 
might  have  caused  a  Mormon  to  shudder. 
Anyway,  she  wasn't  going  to  marry  him,  and 
he  turned  to  the  discussion  of  more  fruitful 
subjects. 

"  How's  Spotts  getting  on  with  his  studies 
in  architecture?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  should  think  he'd  learned  a  good  deal," 
she  replied.  "  Your  father  hasn't  left  a  stone 
of  his  own  cathedral  unexplained,  and  I  im 
agine  he'll  put  him  through  his  paces  over  this 
abbey." 

"  Poor  Spotts!  I'm  afraid  he's  had  a  hard 
row  to  hoe,"  said  Cecil;  "but,  anyway,  it'll 
keep  him  out  of  mischief." 

"  You  must  be  very  careful  what  you  say 
about  him  to  me,"  she  replied.  "  I  won't  hear 
one  word  against  him,  for  we're  very  old 
friends." 

"  So  I  should  infer,"  he  retorted,  "  from 
what  I've  just  seen.  7  never  was  allowed  to 
put  my  arm — " 

"  How  dare  you!  "  she  cried,  rising,  really 
angry  this  time.  "  I—  Then  turning  to  the 


THE  ENEMY  ARR1YES.  19* 

Bishop,  who  arrived  very  opportunely,  she  ex 
claimed: 

"  Won't  you  rescue  me,  please?  Your  son's 
becoming  awfully  impertinent!  " 

"  Then,"  said  his  Lordship  gallantly,  "  my 
son  must  be  taught  better  manners.  If  he 
cannot  show  himself  worthy  of  such  a  charm 
ing  companion,  we'll  punish  him  by  leaving 
him  entirely  alone." 

Certainly  his  father  was  coming  on,  thought 
Cecil.  But  if  Miss  Arminster  tried  to  take  ad 
vantage  of  his  dotage  to  forge  another  link 
in  her  matrimonial  chain,  he,  Banborough, 
would  have  a  word  to  say  on  the  subject. 

"  I  wish  to  tell  you,  my  dear,"  began  his 
Lordship  as  they  walked  away,  leaving  Cecil 
disconsolate,  "  of  a  very  nice  invitation  I've 
received  for  the  rest  of  the  week.  Lord  Down- 
ton  is  to  call  for  me  in  his  yacht  at  Dullhamp- 
ton  to-morrow,  and  has  asked  me  to  join  his 
party  and  to  bring  some  lady  with  me  to  make 
the  number  even." 

"  Oh,  how  jolly  that'll  be— for  Miss  Ma 
tilda!"  said  the  artful  Violet. 


I92  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Humph! — ye-es,"  replied  the  Bishop.  "  I 
hardly  think  my  sister  could  leave  the  palace 
just  at  this  time." 

"  Perhaps,"  suggested  his  guest,  "  yachting 
doesn't  agree  with  her.  Has  she  ever  tried  it 
before?  " 

"  She  has,"  replied  the  Bishop,  with  a  cer 
tain  asperity. 

"  Ah,  poor  thing!  "  said  Miss  Arminster. 
"  It  must  have  taken  away  from  your  pleasure 
to  feel  that  she  was  suffering  such  great  dis 
comfort  on  your  account." 

"  Lord  Downton  didn't  specify  my  sister. 
He  only  said  '  some  lady  ';  and  so  I  thought 
if  you—" 

"  Oh,  that's  just  sweet  of  you!  "  exclaimed 
his  companion.  "  I'm  sure  I  should  adore 
yachting.  It's  something  I've  always  wanted 
to  do." 

'  Then  we'll  consider  it  settled,"  said  the 
Bishop. 

"  But  Miss  Matilda?  " 

"  Ah,  yes,"  admitted  his  Lordship.  "  That's 
just  the  trouble.  You  see  my  dilemma." 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  193 

^ 

"Of  course!"  Violet  responded  promptly, 
understanding  that  he  wished  to  be  helped 
out.  "  If  your  sister  knew  you  were  going, 
she'd  feel  it  her  duty  to  accompany  you,  and 
the  trip  would  be  spoilt  for  you  by  her  suffer 
ings.  So,  out  of  your  affection  for  her,  you 
think  it  would  be  better  if  we  were  just  quietly 
to  slip  off  to-morrow  and  send  her  a  wire  from 
Dullhampton." 

The  Bishop  was  delighted.  Miss  Matilda 
never  accepted  him  at  his  own  valuation. 

"  So,  just  on  your  account,"  continued  his 
companion  demurely,  "  I  won't  say  a  word, 
though  I  hate  any  form  of  concealment." 

"  H'm — naturally,"  said  the  Bishop. 

"  But  since  it's  for  your  dear  sister's  sake — " 

"  We'll  take  the  eleven-fifty  train  to-mor 
row,"  replied  his  Lordship. 

And  here  his  remarks  were  cut  short  from 
the  fact  that  in  suddenly  rounding  a  corner  he 
had  planted  his  foot  on  the  recumbent  form 
of  Marchmont. 

"Hullo!"  said  that  gentleman,  sitting  up, 
and  adding,  as  he  rubbed  his  eyes  to  get  them 


194  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

wider  open,  "  permit  me  to  inform  you  that 
this  part  of  the  ground  is  strictly  preserved." 

"  Who  are  you,  sir?  "  demanded  the  Bishop. 

"  Come,"  said  the  stranger  cheerfully, 
"  we'll  make  a  bargain.  I'll  tell  you  who  you 
are,  if  you'll  tell  me  who  I  am." 

"  I  do  not  see  how  that  is  possible — "  began 
his  Lordship. 

"Well,  I'll  begin,"  said  Marchmont. 
"  You're  the  Bishop  of  Blanford  and  I'm  your 
son's  greatest  benefactor." 

"  Really,  you  surprise  me.  May  I  enquire 
how  you've  benefited  him?  " 

"  I  made  the  fame  of  his  book,  '  The  Purple 
Kangaroo.'  I've  been  sending  you  my  edi 
torials  on  the  subject  for  some  weeks 
past." 

"  Are  you  the  person  who  wrote  those 
scandalous  leaders  which  have  been  forwarded 
to  me  from  America?  "  demanded  the  Bishop. 

"  I  thought  you'd  remember  them,"  said 
the  journalist.  "  They're  eye-openers,  aren't 
they?" 

His  Lordship  drew  himself  up  and  put  on 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  195 

his  most  repressive  manner,  but  Marchmont 
babbled  on  serenely. 

"  The  last  time  I  saw  Cecil  he  said  to  me: 
'  Whenever  you  come  to  England,  March 
mont,  you  just  drop  round  to  the  palace,  and 
we'll  make  things  hum.'  So,  having  a  chance 
for  a  little  vacation,  I  jumped  on  board  a 
steamer,  crossed  to  Southampton,  and  biked 
up-country,  doing  these  ruins  on  the  way.  I 
meant  to  have  presented  myself  at  the  palace 
this  afternoon  in  due  form  and  a  swallow- 
tailed  coat,  but  I'm  just  as  much  pleased  to 
see  you  as  if  I'd  been  regularly  introduced." 

"  You're  one  of  the  most  consummate  liars 
I  ever  knew,"  remarked  Cecil,  who,  hearing 
voices,  had  strolled  over  to  see  what  it  was  all 
about. 

"  Put  it  more  mildly,  my  dear  fellow,"  re 
plied  the  American.  "  Call  me  a  journalist, 
and  spare  your  father's  feelings." 

"  Well,  now  you're  here,  what  do  you  in 
tend  to  do?  "  demanded  Banborough. 

"Do?"  said  Marchmont.  "Why,  I'm 
going  to  put  up  for  a  week  at  your  '  Pink  Pig,' 


196  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

or  your  '  Azure  Griffin,'  or  whatever  kind  of 
nondescript-coloured  animal  your  local  hostel 
ry  boasts,  and  study  your  charming  cathedral. 
But,  in  the  first  place,  I  think  we'd  better 
have  some  lunch.  I'm  as  hungry  as  a  bear." 

"  I  fear  we've  scarcely  provided  for  an  extra 
guest,"  returned  Cecil  frigidly.  The  journalist 
was  the  very  last  person  he  wanted  to  see  at 
Blanford,  and  he  did  not  take  any  pains  to  dis 
guise  the  fact. 

Marchmont,  however,  was  not  to  be 
snubbed,  and  remarking  cheerfully  that  there 
was  always  enough  for  one  more,  calmly  pro 
ceeded  in  the  direction  of  the  hampers.  Once 
there,  he  constituted  himself  chef  and  butler 
forthwith,  and  moreover  proved  so  efficient  in 
both  capacities  that,  irritated  as  his  friend  was 
at  his  self-assurance,  he  could  not  but  express 
his  appreciation. 

Marchmont,  having  started  the  rest  of  the 
people  on  their  lunch  and  made  all  feel  at 
their  ease,  turned  on  his  journalistic  tap  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Bishop,  and  plied  the  old 
gentleman  with  such  a  judicious  mixture  of 


THE  ENEMY  ARRIVES.  19? 

flattery  and  amusing  anecdote  that,  by  the 
time  the  repast  was  over,  his  Lordship  was 
solemnly  assuring  his  son,  much  to  that  young 
gentleman's  disgust,  that  he  was  indeed 
fortunate  in  possessing  such  a  delightful 
friend,  and  that  he  might  invite  Mr.  March- 
mont  to  the  palace  if  he  liked. 

"  Quite  so,"  said  Cecil.  "  I  suppose  you  re 
member  his  article  in  the  Daily  Leader,  in 
which  he  alluded  to  you  as  a  '  consecrated 
fossil'  ?  " 

"  H'm!  "  said  the  Bishop.  "  Really,  the  ac 
commodation  at  the  inn  is  very  good,  and 
perhaps,  with  so  many  guests,  it  would  be  ask 
ing  too  much  of  your  aunt." 

"What  does  all  this  mean?"  asked  Spotts 
of  Banborough  when  a  convenient  opportun 
ity  offered. 

The  Bishop's  son  shrugged  his  shoulders, 
replying: 

"  It  means  mischief." 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN  WHICH  PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR 
DECLARED. 

MARCHMONT  stood  on  the  lawn  before  the 
palace,  on  the  morning  after  his  arrival, 
critically  inspecting  that  structure;  his  feet 
stretched  wide  apart,  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
and  his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head. 

Cecil,  emerging  from  breakfast,  sighted  his 
enemy  and  made  haste  to  join  him. 

"  Jolly  old  rookery  you've  got,"  remarked 
the  reporter. 

"  Yes,"  said  Banborough.  "  It  was  a  mon 
astery  originally.  They  turned  it  into  a 
bishop's  palace  about  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII." 

"  I  know  that  style,"  said  the  American. 
"  Nice  rambling  ark,  two  stories  high,  and  no 
two  rooms  on  the  same  level.  Architect  built 

right  out  into  the  country  till  he  got  tired,  and 

198 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  W 'AR  DECLARED.    199 

then  turned  round  and  came  back.  Obliged 
to  have  a  valet  to  show  you  to  your  room 
whether  you're  sober  or  not." 

"  I  didn't  know,"  said  Cecil  drily,  "  that  you 
possessed  an  extensive  acquaintance  in  ecclesi 
astical  circles  in  this  country." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Marchmont,  "  I  served  as 
valet  for  six  months  to  a  bishop  while  I  was 
gathering  materials  for  my  articles  on  "  '  Eng 
lish  Sees  Seen  from  the  Inside.' ' 

"  Was  it  a  financial  success?  "  queried  Ban- 
borough. 

"  No,"  admitted  the  reporter  regretfully,  "  it 
sold  the  paper  splendidly,  but  was  stopped  at 
the  second  article  at  the  request  of  the  Ameri 
can  ambassador." 

"  Did  you  favour  us  with  a  visit?  " 

"  I  hadn't  that  honour." 

"  If  you  had  done  so  you  would  probably 
have  slept  in  the  rooms  we  give  to  our  Ameri 
can  guests  in  the  new  part  of  the  house." 

"  How  old  is  that?  "  queried  the  journalist. 

"  About  eight  hundred  years,"  replied  Cecil, 
"  and  the  walls  are  four  feet  thick." 


200  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I  know,"  said  the  reporter.  "  It's  appall 
ing.  That  sort  of  thing  always  upsets  me.  It 
seems  so  out  of  keeping  with  the  Daily 
Leader." 

"  Look  here,  Marchmont,  why  have  you 
come  to  Blanford?  "  demanded  Banborough, 
abruptly  changing  the  conversation. 

"  To  have  the  joy  of  your  society,"  returned 
the  journalist. 

"  If  that  were  really  the  case  I'd  be  delight 
ed  to  see  you,"  said  the  Englishman.  "  But 
you're  on  the  track  of  these  unfortunate  peo 
ple  who  are  my  guests;  and  if  you  make  things 
disagreeable  for  them  I  shan't  have  the 
slightest  compunction  in  forbidding  you  the 
house." 

The  American,  apparently  ignoring  the 
other's  frankness,  remarked: 

"  So  you  admit  they're  conspirators?  " 

"  I  admit  nothing  of  the  kind.  They're  per 
fectly  innocent  of  the  charge  you  bring  against 
them,  and  you've  been  making  an  awful  ass 
of  yourself,  if  you  only  knew  it." 

"  Ah,  thank  you.    But  if  this  is  the  case  why 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED.    201 

didn't  you  mention  the  fact  to  me  in  Mon 
treal?  " 

"  I  had  my  reasons." 

"  And  why  are  all  these  people  received  as 
honoured  guests  in  your  father's  palace?  " 

"  That,  if  you'll  permit  me  to  say  so,  March- 
mont,  is  a  matter  that  doesn't  concern  you." 

"  Everything  concerns  me.  Not  that  I  ex 
pect  you  to  see  that  point  of  view.  But  to  put 
it  another  way.  Considering  all  I've  done  to 
increase  the  sale  of  your  book,  won't  you  do 
me  a  good  turn  and  tell  me  what  you  know 
about  this  affair?  " 

"  I  wish  the  confounded  book  had  never 
sold  a  copy!  "  burst  out  Banborough.  "  And 
I'll  not  say  one  word  to  the  detriment  of  my 
friends!  " 

"  Then  it  is  to  be  war?  "  queried  the  jour 
nalist,  rolling  a  cigarette. 

"  Not  so  far  as  I'm  concerned,"  replied  his 
host.  "  Why  don't  you  let  bygones  be  by 
gones?  A  truce  between  the  United  States 
and  Spain  may  be  declared  any  day,  and 
then—" 


202  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Then  my  great  scoop  will  be  lost  for  ever. 
What  would  the  public  care  about  conspira 
tors  if  there  were  no  war?  " 

"  Exactly  what  I  say,"  said  Cecil.  "  So  let's 
drop  the  whole  matter." 

"Not  much!"  cried  the  journalist.  "It's 
my  last  chance.  And  if  you  won't  help  me — 
why,  I  must  help  myself." 

"  What  do  you  wish  me  to  do?  " 

"  Turn  'em  out  of  Blanford." 

"Impossible!" 

"  But  your  father?  " 

"  How  dare  you  mention  my  father's  name 
in  this  connection?  I  won't  have  him  dragged 
into  publicity  to  sell  your  dirty  rag  of  a  news 
paper!  "  Cecil  exploded,  thoroughly  beside 
himself  at  the  thought  of  such  a  dreadful  pos 
sibility. 

The  journalist  nodded  his  head  gravely. 
Banborough's  fierce  defence  of  the  Bishop  he 
attributed  to  far  other  grounds  than  those  on 
which  it  was  really  based.  It  justified  him  to 
the  tramp's  suspicions  that  his  Lordship  was 
actually  connected  with  the  plot. 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED.    203 

"  Well,"  he  said,  with  a  fair  pretence  of 
backing  down,  "  there's  no  need  of  getting  so 
hot  about  it.  Of  course  I  don't  want  to  make 
myself  disagreeable." 

"  Neither  do  I,"  replied  his  host.  "  Only 
we  may  as  well  understand  each  other.  You're 
quite  welcome  to  come  to  the  palace  as  long 
as  you  remember  to  be  a  gentleman  before 
you  are  a  journalist.  But  if  you  forget  it,  I'll 
be  forced  to  treat  you  as  you  deserve,"  and 
turning  on  his  heel,  he  left  Marchmont  chew 
ing  the  ends  of  his  sandy  moustache  with  a 
grim  avidity  that  boded  ill  for  the  peace  of 
the  Bishop  and  his  household. 

The  American  told  himself  that  he  must 
work  carefully.  Banborough  would  watch 
him  and  probably  put  the  others  on  their 
guard.  And  moreover,  he  would  not  hesitate 
to  dismiss  him  from  the  palace,  which,  apart 
from  the  unpleasantness  of  the  operation, 
would  be  well-nigh  fatal  to  the  success  of  the 
scheme  the  journalist  was  maturing.  De 
cidedly  the  highest  caution  was  essential,  but 
he  must  work  quickly,  for  there  was  no  time 


204  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

to  be  lost.  Marchmont  therefore  proceeded 
to  pump  the  first  member  of  the  company  he 
came  across.  This  happened  to  be  Spotts, 
who  was  in  rather  a  bad  humour,  the  result 
of  a  morning  spent  with  the  Bishop  in  the 
cobwebby  heights  of  a  neighbouring  church- 
tower. 

"  You're  the  very  person  I  wanted  to  see," 
cried  the  reporter. 

"  I'm  afraid  I've  hardly  time  to  be  inter 
viewed  just  now,"  replied  the  actor  shortly. 

"  Oh,  this  isn't  professional.  I'm  off  duty 
sometimes.  I'm  only  human." 

"  Oh,  are  you?  I  supposed  newspaper  men 
were  neither  the  one  nor  the  other." 

"  Well,  I  wanted  to  talk  to  you  for  your  own 
good." 

"  Is  it  as  bad  as  all  that?  " 

"  Of  course  I  know  who  you  really  are," 
pursued  the  journalist,  ignoring  the  interrup 
tion.  "  And  I  may  say  confidentially  that  you 
and  Miss  Arminster  are  not  the  people  of  this 
party  I'm  after." 

"  Ah,  that's  very  thoughtful  of  you." 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED.   205 

"  So,  if  I  could  help  you  two  to  slip  off 
quietly — " 

"  Why  include  Miss  Arminster?  "  queried 
Spotts  with  well-affected  surprise. 

"  Why?  My  dear  fellow,  you  don't  sup 
pose  I'm  quite  blind.  Any  one  who  follows 
that  lady  about  with  his  eyes  as  you  do  is 
naturally —  Well — you  understand — " 

"  I'm  afraid  your  professional  acumen  is  at 
fault  this  time,"  said  the  actor,  and  added: 
"  I  hope  I  may  never  come  any  nearer  being 
married  than  I  am  now." 

"  Oh,  I  say,"  returned  Marchmont;  "  don't 
you  aspire  to  be  her — sixteenth,  is  it?  " 

"  You're  alluding  to  Miss  Arminster's  hus 
bands?  "  asked  Spotts  drily. 

"  Oh,  I'd  a  little  bet  up  with  a  friend,"  said 
Marchmont,  "  that  she'd  been  married  at  least 
a  baker's  dozen  times.  Ought  I  to  hedge?  " 

"  I  think  you're  well  inside  the  number," 
replied  the  actor. 

"  Gad!  she  must  be  pretty  well  acquainted 
with  the  divorce  courts!  "  exclaimed  the  re 
porter. 


206  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I'm  quite  sure  she's  never  been  divorced 
in  her  life,"  returned  Spotts.  "  So  long.  I'm 
after  a  drink."  And  he  left  him,  thus  terminat 
ing  the  conversation. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  journalist  to  himself,  "  I  bet 
you're  the  next  in  line,  just  the  same." 

Baffled  in  his  first  attempt,  Marchmont 
sought  other  means  of  information,  for  there 
is  always  a  weak  spot  in  every  defence,  and 
a  man  of  far  less  keen  perception  than  the 
reporter  would  have  had  little  difficulty  in 
finding  the  most  favourable  point  of  attack. 
So  it  is  not  surprising  that  after  a  little  cogita 
tion  he  went  in  search  of  Miss  Matilda,  whom 
he  had  met  the  day  before  when  he  had  re 
turned  with  the  party  from  the  abbey.  He 
found  that  lady  on  the  lawn  knitting  socks 
for  the  heathen,  and  deserted  for  the  nonce  by 
the  faithful  Smith. 

"  Dear  Miss  Banborough,"  began  the  jour 
nalist,  sitting  down  beside  her,  "  what  a  re 
proach  it  is  to  idle  men  like  myself  to  see  such 
industry!  " 

"  It's  very  kind  of  you,  I'm  sure,  to  notice 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED.   207 

my  humble  labours,"  replied  the  old  lady,  ex 
panding  at  once  under  the  first  word  of  flat 
tery.  "  My  brother  tells  me  you're  connected 
with  a  great  newspaper.  How  ennobling  that 
must  be!  It  gives  you  such  a  wide  scope  for 
doing  good." 

Marchmont,  who  had  hardly  adopted  jour 
nalism  for  this  purpose,  and  was  conscious  of 
having  done  his  fair  share  of  mischief  in  the 
world,  made  a  desperate  effort  to  look  the  part 
assigned  to  him,  and  murmuring  something 
about  the  inspiration,  to  toilers  like  himself, 
of  such  self-sacrificing  lives  as  hers,  abruptly 
turned  the  conversation  by  alluding  to  the 
pleasure  which  she  must  have  felt  at  her 
nephew's  return. 

"  Of  course  we're  very  glad  to  have  him 
back,"  acceded  Miss  Matilda.  "  But  then  we 
see  little  or  nothing  of  him." 

"  Naturally,"  said  the  journalist,  "  his  days 
must  be  given  up  to  his  friends.  How  you 
must  be  looking  forward  to  the  time  when 
you  can  have  him  quite  to  yourself  !  " 

The  gleam  that  came  into  the  old  lady's  eye 


2o8  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

at  this  remark  told  him  that  he  had  not  been 
mistaken  in  fancying  her  hostile  to  the 
strangers,  and  he  hastened  to  continue  such 
a  fruitful  theme,  saying: 

"  I  suppose  that,  as  they've  been  here  a 
month  now,  you'll  be  losing  them  soon." 

"  I  can't  say,"  she  snapped.  "  They  seem 
to  be  staying  for  an  indefinite  period." 

"  Really?  "  he  replied.  "  I  shouldn't  have 
fancied  that  your  nephew  would  have  found 
them  very  congenial.  Indeed,  if  you'll  pardon 
my  frankness,  I  was  rather  surprised  to  meet 
them  here." 

Miss  Matilda  at  once  gave  him  her  undi 
vided  attention. 

"  You  knew  them  in  America?  "  she  asked. 

"  Of  course  I  knew  about  them.  I  was 
hardly  acquainted  personally." 

It  was  his  tone  rather  than  his  words  that 
lent  an  unfavourable  colour  to  the  remark,  but 
the  implication  was  not  lost  on  the  Bishop's 
sister.  Here  at  last  was  a  man  who  could 
give  her  the  information  she  was  most  anxious 
to  obtain. 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  IV AR  DECLARED.    209 

"  I  should  have  supposed,"  she  ventured,, 
"  that  you'd  have  known  such  very  intimate 
friends  of  Cecil's  as  these  appear  to  be." 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  returned.  "  New  York's  a 
big  place.  I  dare  say  you  know  much  more 
about  them  than  I  do." 

"  I  know  nothing  ! "  she  burst  out. 
"  Strange  as  it  may  appear  to  you,  my  nephew 
has  never  told  me  one  word  concerning  his 
guests,  though  I'm  expected  to  receive  them 
under  my — his  father's  roof  and  introduce 
them  to  my  friends." 

"  I  see,"  replied  Marchmont  cautiously. 
"  Cecil  should  have  trusted  to  your  excellent 
discrimination  and  judgment,  unless — "  and 
here  he  paused. 

The  position  required  consideration.  It  was 
easy  enough  to  tell  her  about  these  people. 
Merely  to  say  that  they  were  an  itinerant  com 
pany  of  actors  and  actresses  would  be  suf 
ficient  to  ensure  them  a  speedy  conge  from 
Blanford.  But  was  it  wise  to  do  this?  Did 
he  want  them  to  go?  A  hasty  action  is  often 
like  a  boomerang.  It  returns  on  the  toes  of 


210  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

the  person  who  thoughtlessly  launches  it  in 
flight.  No,  on  the  whole  they  had  better  re 
main,  he  told  himself.  The  palace  would  form 
an  excellent  background  for  the  sensational 
exposure  he  hoped  to  make.  If  he  could  only 
get  the  Bishop  into  a  corner,  he  would  be 
quite  satisfied. 

"  Well,  what?  "  she  demanded  sharply,  im 
patient  at  his  unfinished  sentence. 

"  Unless,"  he  continued,  hedging  carefully 
— "  unless  your  nephew  felt  that  it  was  quite 
sufficient  to  have  explained  things  to  his 
father.  Doubtless  the  Bishop  knows  all  about 
his  son's  friends." 

"  The  Bishop  knows  a  great  deal  too  much 
for  a  man  in  his  position,"  snapped  his  sister. 

"  Quite  so,"  thought  the  journalist,  "  and 
doesn't  confide  it  to  you."  Aloud  he  re 
marked: 

"  Of  course  there's  nothing  particular  to  be 
said  against  them,  except  that  they're  hardly 
in  Cecil's  set." 

"  I  didn't  need  you  to  tell  me  that.  But 
what  about  the  ladies?  " 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND   WAR  DECLARED.  211 

"  Ah,  yes,  the  ladies.  Well,  really,  you've 
put  me  in  an  awkward  position,  Miss  Banbor- 
ough.  One  can't  be  uncomplimentary  to  the 
fair  sex,  you  know." 

"  Humph!  Well,  Josephus  sees  more  of  both 
of  them  than  is  good  for  him.  But  of  course 
Mrs.  Mackintosh  has  neither  the  youth  nor 
the  good  looks  to  cause  me  any  anxiety." 

"  Mrs.  Mackintosh  is  eminently  respect 
able,"  said  Marchmont,  who  always  spoke  the 
truth  when  it  did  not  conflict  with  business. 

"  But  Miss  Arminster?  " 

The  journalist  did  not  answer. 

"Well,"  she  cried,  "why  don't  you 
speak?  " 

"  Madam,"  he  replied,  "  you  place  me  in  a 
most  embarrassing  situation.  My  duty  to  you 
and  the  natural  gallantry  of  my  nature  draw 
me  in  different  directions." 

"  I  insist." 

"  I  put  myself  in  your  hands.  In  saying 
what  I  do  I'm  laying  myself  open  to  serious 
misconstruction." 

"  You  may  rely  upon  my  silence." 


212  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Any  indiscretion  on  your  part  would  be 
most  unfortunate." 

"  I  shall  not  forget  the  confidence  you've 
reposed  in  me." 

"  I  shall  hold  you  to  that,"  he  said.  "  If  I 
tell  you  what  I  have  in  mind,  will  you  promise 
not  to  use  the  information  without  my  per 
mission?  " 

"  That  I  cannot  say." 

"  Then  I  say  nothing." 

"  But  you've  already  implied — " 

"  But  implications,  my  dear  Miss  Banbor- 
ough,  are  not  evidence." 

"  You  leave  me  no  other  course  but  to  ac 
cede  to  your  request,"  she  said. 

"  Ah,  then  you  promise?  " 

"  I  promise." 

"  The  word  of  a  woman  in  your  position 
and  of  your  high  moral  standard  I  know  is 
sacred." 

She  nodded. 

"  Well,  then,"  he  continued,  "  please  answer 
me  this  question.  Where  was  your  brother  the 
first  week  in  May?  " 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  W 'AR  DECLARED.  213 

"  In  Scotland." 

"Why  did  he  go?" 

"  For  absolute  rest.  He  was  worried  and 
run  down." 

"  You  heard  from  him  frequently?  " 

"  No,  not  once  during  the  whole  time.  Sir 
Joseph  Westmoreland,  the  great  London 
nerve  specialist,  who  advised  the  change,  even 
prohibited  correspondence." 

"  You're  sure  he  was  in  Scotland?  " 

"  Really,  Mr.  Marchmont,  why  do  you 
ask?  " 

"  Because  I  saw  the  Bishop  of  Blanford  in 
the  United  States  in  the  first  week  of  May  on 
his  way  to  Montreal,  Canada." 

"Impossible!" 

"  I'm  certain  of  it." 

"  I  cannot  credit  what  you  tell  me!  " 

"  What  I  tell  you  is  quite  true.  You  say  he 
was  absent  for  a  month.  Might  he  not  have 
gone  to  the  States  and  returned  in  that  time?  " 

His  sister  nodded.  Then,  as  a  sudden 
thought  occurred  to  her,  she  flushed  red  with 
anger,  exclaiming: 


214  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"And  this  girl,  this  Miss  Arminster!  Was 
she  in  Montreal  also?  " 

"  She  was,"  replied  Marchmont.  "  I  saw 
her." 

"The  hussy!"  cried  Miss  Matilda,  rising. 
"  She  shan't  remain  in  my  house  another 
hour!  " 

"Hold  on!"  he  exclaimed.  "You  forget 
your  promise!  " 

"  But  after  what  you've  said!  " 

"  I  haven't  said  anything.  Miss  Armin- 
ster's  being  in  Montreal  might  have  been 
merely  a  coincidence." 

"  But  do  you  know  something  about  her?  " 

"  I've  investigated  her  career,"  he  replied, 
"  and  have  found  nothing  objectionable  in  it, 
beyond  the  fact  that  she's  rather  fond  of  get 
ting  married." 

"  Getting  married!  But  surely  she  calls  her 
self  Miss  Arminster?  " 

"Ah,  yes;  but  that's  very  common  on  the 
— I  mean,  not  unusual  in  such  cases." 

"  She  has  been  married,  then,  more  than 
once?  " 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED-   215 

"  I  know  of  a  dozen  different  occasions  on 
which  she  has  had  the  service  performed." 

"Infamous!" 

"  Oh,  no.  There's  no  evidence  of  her  ever 
having  been  through  the  divorce  court.  In 
deed,  she  may  never  have  been  married  to 
more  than  one  man  at  the  same  time." 

"  But  how  to  account — " 

"  For  the  mortality  in  husbands?  Well, 
fortunately,  we're  not  required  to  do  that." 

"  I  will  not  have  my  dear  brother  stricken 
down  in  his  prime!  "  gasped  Miss  Matilda. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  suppose  she's  necessarily 
fatal.  Still,  as  mistress  of  Blanford — " 

The  Bishop's  sister  arose  in  her  wrath.  For 
the  first  time  in  her  existence  she  wanted 
to  swear,  but  contented  herself  by  remark 
ing: 

"  That  young  woman  leaves  the  palace  to 
day!" 

"  You  forget  your  promise  to  me,"  he  said. 

"  But  is  it  possible,  in  the  face  of  what 
you've  told  me,  that  you  can  hold  me  to 
it?" 


216  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Quite  possible.  In  fact  I  mean  to  do  so, 
and  as  soon  as  your  righteous  indignation 
cools  down  a  bit  you'll  realise  that  we've 
nothing  whatsoever  to  go  on.  What  I've  said 
could  only  be  substantiated  by  evidence  re 
quiring  some  time  to  obtain.  If  you  accused 
her  now,  she'd  merely  deny  my  statement,  and 
her  word's  as  good  as  mine,  and  probably  bet 
ter,  in  his  Lordship's  estimation." 

"  But  is  there  no  proof  near  at  hand?  " 

"  Yes.  She  was  married  several  years  ago 
at  a  little  church  close  by  the  ruined  abbey 
where  I  first  met  your  party,  and  the  fact  is 
recorded  in  the  register." 

"  Then  surely—" 

"  There's  no  crime  in  being  married  once," 
he  objected. 

"  But  what  can  we  do?  "  she  asked. 

"  Keep  quiet  for  a  little  while  longer.  Miss 
Arminster's  certain  to  make  some  slip,  and 
then—" 

"  It  seems  very  difficult  to  wait." 

"  Believe  me,"  he  replied,  "  it's  the  only 
way,  and  I  shall  rely  on  your  promise." 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED.   217 

Saying  which,  he  left  her,  partly  because  he 
had  obtained  all  the  information  he  wished, 
and  partly  because  he  was  certain  that  he 
espied  the  well-known  figure  of  the  tramp 
hovering  behind  the  bushes  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  lawn. 

A  few  moments  later  he  had  his  hand  on 
that  individual's  collar,  and  was  demanding 
sternly  what  he  meant  by  coming  to  Blanford 
against  his  orders. 

"  'Cause  I've  somethin'  of  importance  to 
tell  yer,"  retorted  that  worthy. 

"  Well,  out  with  it,  quick!  "  said  the  journal 
ist.  "  It's  got  to  be  pretty  important  to  ex 
cuse  your  disobedience." 

"  It  is.    The  boss  is  going  to  bolt." 

"Who?    The  Bishop?" 

"  That's  it!    Him  and  the  lady." 

"What  lady?" 

"  The  young  'un,  I  guess." 

"  What's  all  this  stuff  about?  "  demanded 
Marchmont. 

"  It  ain't  stuff,  as  you'll  soon  see,"  replied 
the  tramp  in  an  aggrieved  tone.  "  There  was 


2l8  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

a  yacht  come  into  Dullhampton  last  night,  a 
nasty-lookin'  boat  and  a  quick  steamer.  The 
second  mate  and  me,  we  got  to  know  each 
other  up  to  the  inn — he's  a  furriner,  he  is — 
a  Don,  more'n  likely.  But  he  let  on,  havin' 
had  some  drink,  as  how  he'd  been  sent  there 
with  the  yacht  to  wait  for  the  Bishop  o'  Blan- 
ford  and  a  lady  as  was  comin'  down  next  day, 
and  the  Bishop  was  to  give  the  sailin'  orders." 

"Humph!    What  more?" 

"  This  mornin'  I  seed  'em  lookin'  over  a 
lot  of  flags  on  the  deck  of  the  yacht,  and  one 
of  'em  was  Spanish." 

"  So  you  came  all  the  way  up  here  to  tell 
me  this  cock-and-bull  story!  "  - 

"  Not  till  I'd  squared  the  crew." 

"  Squared  the  crew?  " 

"  I  let  on  to  'em  as  how  they'd  been  shipped 
under  false  orders  to  carry  two  Spanish  spies 
out  of  the  country,  an'  how  we  was  on  to  the 
fact,  and  if  they'd  stay  by  us  they'd  not  be 
held  responsible;  and  I  promised  'em  ten 
shillin's  apiece  and  give  'em  all  the  drink  they 
wanted,  and  they're  ours  to  a  man." 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED.   219 

"  And  that's  where  you've  wasted  good 
money  and  good  liquor.  I  tell  you  what  you 
say  is  impossible.  If  the  Bishop  had  had  any 
idea  of  a  move  like  that,  I'd  have  got  wind 
of  it.  Besides,  his  old  cat  of  a  sister  would 
never  let  him  leave  Blanford  again  without 
her." 

"  Hist!  "  said  the  tramp,  pointing  across  the 
lawn.  "  Look  there,  what  did  I  say?  My 
eyesight  ain't  what  it  was,  from  breakin' 
stones  up  to  Sing  Sing,  and  I  can't  see  no  faces 
at  this  distance,  but  there's  somethin'  sneakin' 
along  there,  in  bishop's  togs." 

Marchmont  followed  the  direction  he  indi 
cated,  and  saw  two  figures  stealing  round  the 
corner  of  the  palace,  carrying  hand-bags  and 
showing  every  sign  of  watchfulness  and  sus 
picion.  Having  ascertained  that  the  lawn  was 
clear,  they  slipped  rapidly  across  it,  and,  put 
ting  themselves  in  the  protecting  shade  of  a 
clump  of  bushes,  turned  into  the  high-road 
and  disappeared.  It  had  needed  no  second 
glance  to  identify  them  as  his  Lordship  and 
Miss  Arminster. 


220  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  By  Jove!  "  gasped  the  journalist.  "  It  is 
true,  then!  This  will  be  a  scoop  of  scoops! 
Come,  we've  got  to  run  for  it.  We  must  take 
the  same  train,  and  they  mustn't  see  us." 

Some  one  else  had  witnessed  the  departure, 
in  spite  of  all  the  precautions  of  the  fugitives, 
and  that  person  was  Miss  Matilda,  who,  from 
the  vantage  of  an  upper  window,  caught  a 
glimpse  of  them  just  as  they  disappeared 
through  the  gate.  Unwilling  at  first  to  be 
lieve  her  senses,  she  rushed  to  her  brother's 
room  and  then  to  Miss  Arminster's.  Alas!  in 
each  apartment  the  traces  of  hasty  packing 
and  missing  hand-luggage  gave  damning  evi 
dence  of  the  fact.  She  rushed  downstairs, 
bursting  with  her  dreadful  intelligence.  In 
the  hall  she  met  Cecil,  delightedly  waving  a 
telegram  in  his  hand. 

"Hurrah!,  Aunt  Matilda!"  he  shouted. 
"Such  news!  'The  Purple  Kangaroo'  has 
reached  its  twentieth  edition,  and  a  truce  is 
declared  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain!  Where  are  the  others?  I  must  tell 
them  that  the  war  is  over." 


PEACE  IS  PROPOSED  AND  WAR  DECLARED-    221 

"  Bother  your  war!  "  exclaimed  his  aunt. 

"  Do  you  know  that  your  father  and  that 

shameless  minx,  Miss  Arminster,  have  just 
eloped?  " 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IN  WHICH  THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED. 

ALL  the  way  from  Blanford  to  Dullhamp- 
ton  the  Bishop  was  in  the  best  of  spirits,  much 
on  the  principle  of  a  naughty  boy  who,  having 
played  truant,  means  to  enjoy  his  holiday  to 
the  full,  well  knowing  that  he  will  be  caned 
when  it  is  over.  Indeed  his  Lordship  became 
positively  skittish,  and  Miss  Arminster  was 
obliged  to  squelch  him  a  little,  as  that  young 
lady,  for  excellent  reasons  of  her  own,  had 
no  more  intention  of  becoming  the  mistress  of 
Blanford  than  she  had  of  wedding  the  author 
of  "  The  Purple  Kangaroo."  On  the  other 
hand,  she  realised  that  it  was  one  of  the  old 
gentleman's  very  rare  treats,  and  she  wanted 
him  to  have  as  good  a  time  as  possible;  be 
sides  which,  she  had  always  longed  to  take  a 
cruise  on  a  steam-yacht,  and  now  her  ambi 
tion  was  about  to  be  gratified. 


222 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  223 

The  shock  of  disappointment  was  therefore 
all  the  greater  when,  on  their  arrival  at  Dull- 
hampton,  they  were  met  by  the  captain,  who 
informed  them  that  Lord  Downton  had  had 
a  bad  fall  the  day  before  and  seriously  sprained 
his  ankle,  so  that  the  party  had  been  given  up. 
He  had  sent  the  yacht  on,  however,  with  the 
request  that  the  Bishop  would  consider  it  at 
his  disposal  for  the  remainder  of  the  week. 

"  Now  that's  exceedingly  awkward,"  said 
his  Lordship.  "  I  fear  we  can  hardly  go  yacht 
ing  without  a  chaperon." 

"  Most  certainly  not,"  agreed  Miss  Armin- 
ster.  "  But  let's  take  a  little  sail  this  after 
noon,  and  return  to  Blanford  in  time  for  din 
ner." 

"That's  very  well  thought  of,"  said  the 
Bishop,  "  and  to-morrow  we  can  bring  down 
some  more  of  our  party.  It  seems  a  pity  we 
shouldn't  use  the  yacht,  now  we're  here.  Does 
that  arrangement  meet  with  your  approval, 
captain?  " 

"  Well,  your  Lordship,"  replied  the  captain, 
"  to  be  honest  with  you,  I  hadn't  expected  as 


224  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

how  you'd  be  able  to  get  away  to-day,  so  I'd 
arranged  to  see  my  sister,  who  lives  here,  this 
afternoon,  and  the  first  mate's  gone  up  to- 
town  to  order  some  stores.  But  if  you  are 
only  to  be  out  for  a  few  hours,  as  you  say,  my 
second  mate's  quite  capable  of  taking  the  boat 
for  you.  I  wouldn't  like  to  trust  him  on  a 
long  cruise,  for  he's  only  joined  a  few  weeks, 
and  I  know  nothing  about  his  character.  He 
is  a  first-class  navigator,  however,  and  for  an 
afternoon  in  the  Solent  he'll  do  you  very 
well." 

"  I'm  sure  we  would  not  want  to  interfere 
with  your  plans,  captain,"  said  his  Lordship, 
"  so  if  Miss  Arminster  agrees — " 

"  Oh  my,  yes,"  acquiesced  Violet.  "  I  don't 
care  who  takes  the  yacht  out,  so  long  as  we 
go." 

"  Right  you  are,"  said  the  captain. 
"  Steam's  up,  and  I've  ordered  lunch  on 
board,  as  I  thought  you'd  want  that  anyway. 
I'll  tell  Funk,  the  second  mate,  to  run  out  into 
the  Solent,  and  then  you  can  give  your  own 
orders.  What  time  will  you  be  back?  " 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  225 

"  Oh,  not  later  than  six,"  replied  the 
Bishop,  as  they  stepped  on  board  Lord  Down- 
ton's  beautiful  craft,  the  "  Homing  Pigeon." 

She  was  a  large  boat  and  thoroughly  sea 
worthy.  Indeed  her  owner  had  made  a  voy 
age  in  her  to  the  Mediterranean,  but  she  was 
built  for  speed  also,  and  decidedly  rakish  in 
cut. 

They  were  at  once  introduced  to  the  second 
mate,  and  Miss  Arminster  thought  she  had 
seldom  seen  a  more  unprepossessing  indi 
vidual.  He  was  surly  and  shifty-eyed,  and  she 
confided  to  the  Bishop,  when  they  were  alone, 
that  she  was  glad  they  were  not  going  far 
from  land  under  that  man's  charge,  for  he 
looked  like  a  pirate. 

After  glancing  round  the  deck,  which 
seemed  charmingly  arranged,  they  at  once 
descended  to  the  cabin  for  lunch,  for  their 
little  journey  had  made  them  hungry.  Here 
the  captain  left  them  with  a  few  courteous 
words  of  excuse.  A  moment  later,  as  he  was 
leaving  the  ship,  he  met  two  strangers  coming 
on  board,  laden  with  hand-baggage.  They 


226  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

were,  though  unknown  to  him,  the  journalist 
and  the  tramp.  On  asking  them  sharply  what 
their  business  was,  Marchmont  replied  very 
glibly  that  he  was  his  Lordship's  valet,  and 
that  he  had  hired  this  man  to  bring  down  the 
luggage  from  the  station. 

"  I  don't  think  your  master'll  need  his  traps, 
as  he's  only  going  out  for  the  afternoon,"  said 
the  captain.  "  But  you'd  better  take  them 
down  to  the  cabin,  and  see  the  porter  gets  off 
before  they  start.  I  don't  allow  strangers 
aboard." 

The  valet  touched  his  hat  respectfully,  and 
went  up  the  gangway,  followed  by  the  obse 
quious  porter.  A  moment  later  they  reached 
the  deck,  and  no  sooner  had  the  captain  dis 
appeared  round  a  corner  than  both  men  ap 
proached  the  second  mate,  with  whom  they 
had  a  hurried  and  earnest  conversation,  fol 
lowed  by  an  interchange  of  something  which 
that  officer  transferred  to  his  trousers-pocket 
and  jingled  appreciatively. 

The  ropes  were  now  cast  off,  and  they  got 
under  way,  while  Marchmont  stole  very 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  227 

quietly  to  the  door  of  the  hatchway  which  led 
down  to  the  saloon  where  the  Bishop  and  the 
actress  were  unsuspectingly  lunching,  and 
softly  turned  the  key. 

"  Mayn't  I  cut  you  a  slice  of  this  cold  ham, 
my  dear? "  asked  the  Bishop  in  his  most 
fatherly  tones. 

"  Not  while  the  pigeon-pie  lasts,"  said  his 
fair  companion.  "  But  you  may  give  me  a 
glass  of  champagne,  if  you  will.  I  see  some 
going  to  waste  in  an  ice-cooler  over  there  in 
the  corner." 

"  I  was  hoping  the  steward  would  come," 
ventured  his  Lordship. 

"  Well,  I  hope  he  won't.  Being  tete-a-tete 
is  much  more  fun,  don't  you  think?  Give  the 
bottle  to  me,  and  I'll  show  you  how  to  open  it 
and  not  spill  a  drop.  In  some  respects  your 
education's  been  neglected." 

"  I'm  afraid  it  has,"  admitted  the  Bishop, 
assisting  her  with  his  pen-knife. 

His  Lordship  felt  recklessly  jovial.  To 
lunch  alone  with  a  young  lady  who  opened 
champagne  with  a  dexterity  that  bespoke  con- 


228  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

siderable  practice  must  be  very  wicked,  he  felt 
certain,  and  he  was  shocked  to  realise  that  he 
didn't  care  if  it  was.  His  years  of  repression 
were  beginning  to  find  their  outlet  in  a 
natural  reaction. 

"  Here,  have  a  glass  of  champagne,  and 
don't  think  about  your  shortcomings,"  she 
said. 

"  That's  very  nice,"  he  replied,  just  tast 
ing  it. 

"Nonsense!"  she  cried.  "No  heel-taps. 
I'm  no  end  thirsty." 

"  So  am  I,"  replied  his  Lordship,  draining 
his  glass  contentedly,  and  watching  her  fill  it 
up  again. 

"  What  are  you  so  pensive  about?  "  she  de 
manded.  "  There's  another  bottle." 

He  had  been  thinking  that  his  sister  always 
confined  him  to  two  glasses,  but  he  didn't  say 
so,  and  under  her  skilful  lead  he  was  soon  de 
scribing  to  her  a  Cowes  regatta  he  had  once 
seen,  in  which  she  professed  to  be  amazingly 
interested. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,"  she  remarked  a  little 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  229 

later  on.  "  If  I  had  a  gorgeous  palace  like 
yours  I'd  have  no  end  of  a  good  time." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  Bishop,  who  was  helping  her 
to  unfasten  the  second  bottle  of  champagne, 
"  I  never  thought  of  it  in  that  light." 

"  No,"  returned  his  fair  companion,  "  I  sup 
pose  not  But  you're  losing  lots  of  fun  in  life, 
and  it  does  seem  a  shame,  when  you  would  so 
enjoy  it." 

"  It  does,"  said  the  Bishop,  sampling  the 
fresh  bottle.  "  But  then,  you  see,  there's  my 
sister,  Miss  Matilda — " 

"Rats!" 

"  Excuse  me,  I  didn't  catch  your  meaning." 

"  Never  mind  my  meaning.  We're  talking 
about  your  sister.  She's  a  most  estimable 
woman,  my  dear  Bish —  Oh,  pshaw!  I  can't 
always  call  you  by  your  title." 

"  Call  me  Josephus,"  he  said. 

"  No,  I  couldn't  call  you  that,  either.  It's 
too  dreadful.  I'll  call  you  Joe." 

The  Bishop  beamed  with  joy. 

"And  I,"  he  faltered,  "may  I  call  you 
Violet?  " 


230  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  I  don't  think  it's  proper 
in  a  man  of  your  position." 

"  But  if  you  call  me — Joe — " 

"Well!"  she  cried,  laughing,  "we'll  make 
a  compromise.  Suppose  you  call  me  '  the 
Leopard'?" 

"  To  be  sure,"  he  said.  "  Mrs.  Mackintosh 
spoke  of  you  as  that — er — quadruped.  But 
what  does  it  mean?  " 

"  You  want  to  know  a  great  deal  too  much 
for  a  man  of  your  age.  It's  an  animal  that  is 
more  than  once  mentioned  in  Scripture,  and 
that  ought  to  be  sufficient  for  your  purposes. 
So  we'll  have  it  understood  that  his  Lord 
ship's  Leopard  is  quite  at  his  Lordship's  ser 
vice,  if  his  Lordship  doesn't  mind." 

"Mind!"  he  cried  ecstatically,  eyeing  the 
other  side  of  the  table.  But  Miss  Violet  in 
tended  to  have  the  board  between  them. 

"  Take  another  glass  of  champagne,  and 
keep  quiet,"  she  said  sternly.  "  We're  talking 
about  your  estimable  but  impossible  sister. 
My  dear  Joe,  you'll  never  have  any  sport  till 
you've  got  rid  of  her." 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  231 

"  But  how  shall  I  get  rid  of  her?  "  he  asked 
despondently.  Even  champagne  was  not 
proof  against  the  depression  induced  by  such 
an  appalling  thought. 

"  Oh,  send  her  to  a  course  of  mud-baths  or 
a  water-cure!  " 

"  I  might  try  it — if — if  you'd  help  me — if 
you'd  take  her  place  at  the  palace.  I  mean — " 

"Josephus!"  she  called,  in  such  an  exact 
imitation  of  his  sister's  tone  that  it  made  him 
sit  right  up.  "Josephus!  don't  say  another 
word!  I  know  what  you  mean — and  you're 
an  old  dear — and  I'm  not  going  to  let  you 
make  a  fool  of  yourself.  You're  aged  enough 
to  be  my  father,  and  if  your  son  had  had  his 
way  you  would  have  been  my  father-in-law. 
I  want  to  have  a  good  time,  and  I  want  you  to 
have  a  good  time;  but  that  isn't  the  proper 
manner  in  which  to  set  about  it.  No,  you  send 
the  old  lady  packing,  for  the  good  of  her 
health,  and  Mrs.  Mackintosh  and  I'll  help  you 
and  Cecil  entertain,  and  we'll  have  a  dance, 
and  a  marquee,  and  lots  of  punch.  I  dare  say 
you've  never  been  to  a  dance  in  your  life," 


232  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

she  rattled  on,  not  giving  him  a  chance  to 
blunder  out  excuses. 

"  I'm  not  such  an  old  fogey  as  you  think 
me,"  he  began.  "  But  I  want  to  say — er — 
Miss — Leopard — " 

"  Oh,  no,  you  don't,"  she  interrupted. 
"  You  want  to  forget  what  you've  said,  and 
so  do  I.  We  must  talk  about  something  else. 
What  were  you  saying  about  a  dance?  " 

"  No,  no,  not  a  dance,"  he  replied,  resigning 
himself  to  his  fate.  "  But  once,"  lowering  his 
voice,  "  not  long  ago  either,  when  I  was  in 
town,  I — I'm  sure  you  won't  believe  it-5— I 
went  to  a  theatre."  This  last  triumphantly. 

"Oh,  you  sad  dog!"  she  cried.  "You 
didn't!" 

He  nodded  his  head  affirmatively. 

"  And  what  was  the  piece?  " 

"  '  The  Sign  of  the  Cross.'  " 

"  What,  that  gruesome  show,  where  every 
one's  slaughtered  or  chewed  up  by  lions!  You 
ought  to  have  gone  to  the  Empire." 

"  It  wasn't  far  from  Leicester  Square,"  he 
said  deprecatingly. 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  233 

"  Not  near  enough  to  be  very  wicked," 
she  retorted.  "  But,  say,  I'll  tell  you  some 
thing  if  you'll  promise  never,  never  to  re 
veal  it." 

"  The  word  of  a  bishop — "  he  began. 

"  Oh,  nonsense!  You're  not  a  bishop  at 
present,  you're  just  Joe.  Well,  here  it  is:  I'm 
an  actress! " 

"  You — are — an — actress!  " 

"Fact!  I'm  quite  harmless.  If  you  keep 
six  feet  from  me  there's  not  the  slightest 
danger  of  contamination." 

Then,  seeing  his  look  of  astonished  bewil 
derment,  she  burst  into  a  peal  of  ringing 
laughter,  crying: 

"  Why,  to  look  at  you,  one  would  think  I'd 
told  you  that  I  was  a  Gorgon! " 

"  No,  no,"  he  said,  stammering.  "  I — I'm 
delighted.  I  always  really  wanted  to  meet  an 
actress — but — er — I  hardly  know  what  to 
say—" 

"  Don't  say  anything.  Just  be  your  dear 
unsophisticated  self,  or  you'll  be  a  bore.  Cecil 
didn't  dare  tell  you  who  I  was,  for  fear  you'd 


234  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

be  shocked.  Come  on,  let's  go  up  on  deck. 
It's  close  down  here." 

"  It  is,"  admitted  his  Lordship,  whose  tem 
perature  had  risen  with  his  consumption  of 
champagne,  and  added: 

"  We  should  be  well  out  by  this  time, 
for  we  seem  to  have  been  going  at  great 
speed." 

"  Isn't  it  glorious!  "  she  cried.  "  I  wonder 
what  they're  doing  at  Blanford.  I  guess  your 
telegram  was  an  eye-opener." 

"Bless  my  soul!"  exclaimed  the  Bishop, 
fishing  a  form  out  of  his  pocket.  "  I  forgot 
to  send  it." 

"  What,  do  you  mean  to  say  they  don't 
know  what's  become  of  us?  " 

"  I  never  said  a  word." 

"  My  hat!  "  she  cried.  "  Won't  you  get  a 
wigging  to-night?  " 

Then,  seeing  his  evident  discomfiture,  she 
added: 

"  Never  mind,  I'll  take  it  with  you;  and  if 
she  turns  nasty  we'll  put  a  flea  in  her  ear  about 
those  mud-baths.  Come,  let's  have  our  fun, 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  235 

anyway."  And  she  put  her  hand  on  the  cabin 
door. 

"Why,  it's  stuck!"  she  exclaimed.  "I 
can't  open  it." 

The  Bishop  grasped  the  handle. 

"  It  isn't  stuck!  "  he  cried,  shaking  it.  "  It's 

locked!" 

***** 

While  events  had  been  progressing  in  the 
cabin,  others  of  no  less  importance  were  tak 
ing  place  on  deck.  Once  they  were  well  off 
the  land,  Funk  lost  no  time  in  calling  a  meet 
ing  of  the  crew  of  the  yacht,  who  formed  a 
circle  around  him. 

"  Now,  my  hearties,"  he  said,  introducing 
Marchmont,  "  this  gentleman's  got  a  word  to 
say  to  you  which  it's  worth  your  while  to 
hear."  And  he  put  him  in  the  centre  of  the 
ring. 

"  Mates,"  began  the  journalist,  fitting  his 
speech  to  the  audience  he  was  addressing, 
"  I'm  a  plain  man  of  few  words,  and  I've  come 
to  you  about  a  plain  matter.  Mr.  Funk  will 


236  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

tell  you  I'm  speaking  the  truth;  and  you  know 
this  gentleman,"  indicating  the  tramp. 

The  crowd  growled  gutturally.  They  ap 
preciated  the  tramp's  generous  offers  of 
liquor,  but  not  his  society. 

"  Well,"  continued  Marchmont,  ignoring 
the  unfavourable  tone,  "  I  suppose  you'd  all 
like  to  see  the  Yankees  lick  the  Dons." 

"  Ay,  ay,  you're  right  there,"  muttered  a 
burly  tar. 

"Good  for  you!  We're  all  of  the  same 
family,  and  blood's  thicker  than  water.  Of 
course  you  want  the  boys  in  blue  to  win;  and 
that  being  the  case,  I  rely  on  you  to  help  me, 
like  true  British  tars,  the  nation's  bul 
warks — !  " 

"  Hear,  hear!  "  growled  the  crowd  appre 
ciatively. 

"  Now  do  you  know  whom  you've  aboard 
to-day?  "  demanded  the  American. 

"  The  Bishop  o'  Blanford,  and  a  laidy," 
came  the  tones  of  a  voice  whose  owner  evi 
dently  hailed  from  London. 

"  No,  you  haven't,"  cried  the  journalist  ex- 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  237 

citedly.  "  No,  you  haven't!  You've  got  two 
low-down  Spanish  spies! " 

"  What  d'ye  say,  mate?  "  demanded  the  first 
speaker  among  the  crew. 

"  I'm  telling  you  the  truth,"  vociferated 
Marchmont,  lying  boldly;  for  he  feared  that 
the  Bishop's  conspiracies  would  go  for 
nothing  if  they  suspected  he  was  really  a 
churchman. 

"  I'm  telling  you  the  truth,"  he  repeated. 
"And  these  two  gentlemen,"  referring  to  the 
mate  and  the  tramp,  "  will  back  me  up.  That 
man's  no  more  the  Bishop  of  Blanford  than 
you  are!  And  the  lady — well,  she's  on  the 
stage  when  she  isn't  in  the  pay  of  the  Spanish 
Government.  I've  tracked  them  from  the 
States  to  Canada,  where  I  saw  them  both  a 
month  ago,  and  then  to  England.  I  don't 
say  how  they  got  hold  of  this  yacht,  but 
I  ask  you,  where's  the  captain  and  the  first 
mate?  " 

A  growl  of  suspicion  rewarded  his  efforts. 

"  They  took  pretty  good  care  to  get  out  of 
the  way,  and  leave  Mr.  Funk  and  you  to  bear 


238  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

the  brunt  of  any  breach  of  neutrality  that  these 
conspirators  might  let  you  in  for." 

The  sailors  began  to  whisper  to  one  an 
other,  and  were  evidently  uneasy. 

"  Then  look  at  the  captain's  parting 
words!"  cried  the  journalist.  'Go  out  into 
the  Solent,'  says  he,  '  and  the  Bishop  will  give 
you  your  sailing  orders.'  Sailing  orders,  in 
deed  !  What  would  a  parson  know  about  sail 
ing  a  vessel  of  this  sort?  " 

One  of  the  men  nudged  another  at  this, 
and  he  of  the  gruff  voice  gave  it  as  his  opin 
ion  that  "  there  was  summat  in  it." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  the  sailing  orders  will 
be,"  shouted  Marchmont.  "  They'll  take  you 
round  the  Needles,  and  alongside  of  a  Spanish 
cruiser.  And  when  you  get  ashore,  you'll  all 
be  clapped  into  prison  for  helping  the  Dons." 

"  Let's  take  'em  back  now,"  came  a  chorus 
of  voices. 

"  And  let  'em  go  scot-free? "  demanded 
Marchmont. 

"  Well,  what  would  you  do? "  asked  the 
spokesman. 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  239 

"I?"  said  the  journalist.  "I'd  hand  'em 
over  to  the  first  American  ship  we  sight,  and 
send  'em  to  New  York.  That  takes  the  bur 
den  off  your  shoulders.  My  man  has  prom 
ised  you  ten  shillings  apiece.  Put  'em  on 
board  a  Yankee  ship,  and  I'll  make  it  a 
pound."  And  he  brought  up  a  handful  of 
gold  from  his  pocket,  and  jingled  it  in  their 
faces. 

It  has  been  said  that  money  talks,  and  it 
undoubtedly  did  so  in  this  case.  Marchmont's 
specious  arguments  sounded  plausible 
enough,  and  the  mate,  who  was  a  thoroughly 
bad  lot  and  had  plenty  of  the  journalist's 
money  in  his  pocket,  backed  him  up  in  every 
particular.  So  the  crew,  after  a  little  discus 
sion,  accepted  the  proposition  to  a  man,  and 
the  fact  that  the  Bishop  chose  this  unfortunate 
time  to  make  an  attack  on  the  cabin  door 
probably  helped  to  decide  them. 

"  You  see,"  cried  the  journalist,  as  it  rat 
tled  on  its  hinges,  "  they're  trying  to  break 
out  now,  and  are  probably  armed  to  the 
teeth." 


240  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  We're  with  you,  mates.  The  Yankees 
shall  have  'em!  "  shouted  the  crowd. 

"  Good!  "  he  replied.  "  I'll  see  if  I  can  in 
duce  them  to  surrender  quietly."  And  going 
to  the  cabin  door,  he  unlocked  it  and  entered, 
closing  it  behind  him. 

"  Who  has  dared  to  lock  us  in  in  this  un 
warrantable  manner?  "  spluttered  the  Bishop, 
as  the  door  opened.  Then,  seeing  who  it  was, 
he  fell  back  a  step,  exclaiming: 

"  Why,  Mr.  Marchmont,  how  did  you  come 
on  board?  " 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  said  the  journal 
ist  shortly.  "  I'm  here,  and  I  locked  you  in; 
and  when  I  tell  you  that  I'm  thoroughly  on  to 
the  whole  show,  you'll  understand  that  this 
high-and-mighty  business  doesn't  go  down. 
Got  any  champagne  left?  I'm  as  dry  as  a 
bone." 

The  Bishop  was  rapidly  turning  purple  with 
suppressed  indignation,  but  Miss  Arminster 
scornfully  indicated  the  location  of  the  wine- 
cooler. 

"  Ah,  thanks,"  said  the  intruder,  tossing  off 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  241 

a  glass.  "  That's  better."  And  he  threw  him 
self  comfortably  down  on  a  divan,  saying,  as 
he  did  so: 

"  If  you  two  have  any  weapons,  you  might 
as  well  put  them  on  the  table.  Resistance  is 
quite  useless.  I've  plenty  of  men  awaiting 
my  signal  on  deck." 

Violet,  who  in  the  light  of  this  last  remark 
suddenly  understood  the  position,  burst  into 
peals  of  laughter. 

"  You'll  find  it's  no  laughing  matter,"  cried 
the  journalist  angrily. 

"  I  insist  upon  your  instantly  explain 
ing  your  outrageous  conduct,"  said  the 
Bishop. 

"  I  can  do  that  in  a  very  few  words,"  replied 
Marchmont.  "  As  an  American  representa 
tive,  and  authorised  agent  of  the  Daily  Leader, 
the  people's  bulwark  of  defence,  I  arrest  you 
both  as  Spanish  spies." 

"He  must  be  mad!"  ejaculated  his  Lord 
ship. 

"  Oh,  no,  he  isn't.  He  actually  believes  it!  " 
cried  Violet  between  her  paroxysms  of  merri- 


242  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

ment.  But  her  companion  would  not  be  con 
vinced. 

"  My  dear  man,"  he  said  blandly,  "  you 
must  be  suffering  under  some  grievous  de 
lusion.  I  am,  as  you  should  know,  having 
been  my  guest,  the  Bishop  of  Blanford,  and  it 
is  quite  impossible  that  either  I  or  this  lady 
should  have  any  connection  with  a  political 
crime.  I  must  insist  that  you  release  us  at 
once,  and  go  away  quietly,  or  I  shall  be  forced 
to-  use  harsher  measures." 

"  You  do  it  very  well,  very  well  indeed," 
commented  the  journalist.  "  But  you  can't 
fool  me,  and  so  you'd  better  give  up  trying." 

"  I  say,"  remarked  Miss  Arminster  to 
Marchmont,  "  you're  making  an  awful  fool  of 
yourself." 

The  representative  of  the  Daily  Leader 
shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Won't  you  consent  to  let  us  go,  without 
threshing  the  whole  thing  out?  "  she  asked. 

"  What  do  you  take  me  for?  " 

"  Well,  as  you  please,"  she  said  resignedly. 
"  Put  your  questions;  we'll  answer  them." 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  243 

"  Is  it  best  to  humour  him?  "  enquired  his 
Lordship  in  a  low  voice. 

"  It's  the  only  way,"  she  replied.  "  Give 
him  string  enough,  and  see  the  cat's-cradle 
he'll  weave  out  of  it." 

"  Now,"  said  the  journalist  cheerfully  to 
the  Bishop,  "  perhaps  you'll  deny  that  you 
spent  a  month  or  six  weeks  in  the  United 
States  this  spring?  " 

"  A  month,"  acquiesced  his  Lordship. 

"  Just  so.  And  during  that  time  you  were 
supposed  to  be  in  Scotland  taking  a  rest- 
cure? " 

"  I  admit  that  such  is  the  case.  But  how 
you  obtained  your  information — " 

"  I  got  it  from  your  sister — about  the  rest- 
cure,  I  mean." 

"  Did  you  tell  her — er — that  I  was — er — 
in  the  United  States?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  journalist. 

His  Lordship  heaved  a  deep  sigh.  The 
future,  he  thought,  held  worse  things  for  him 
than  arrest  and  deportation. 


244  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  How  did  you  know  that  I  was  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  saw  you." 

"Where?" 

"  At  a  little  station  on  the  borders  of  the 
two  countries.  You  spent  the  night  wrapped 
up  in  a  blanket,  and  slept  under  the  bar." 

"  You  never — !  "  broke  in  Miss  Armin- 
ster. 

The  Bishop  nodded  mournfully.  So  far  the 
facts  were  against  him,  and  his  interlocutor's 
face  shone  with  a  gleam  of  triumph. 

"  But  in  that  case — "  exclaimed  Violet. 

"  Excuse  me,  I'll  tell  the  story,"  said  March- 
mont,  and  continued  the  narration. 

"  You  were  roused  about  five  in  the  morn 
ing  by  a  man  breaking  into  the  room." 

"  So  I  was,"  admitted  the  Bishop.  "  How 
did  you  know?  " 

"  I  was  asleep  in  the  room  overhead,  and 
gave  the  alarm." 

"  That's  perfectly  correct,"  acquiesced  his 
Lordship.  "  I  remember  the  tones  of  your 
voice.  It's  most  astounding." 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED-  245 

"  And  the  man  who  broke  into  the  bar," 
continued  Violet,  "  was  your  son." 

It  was  now  Marchmont's  turn  to  be  aston 
ished. 

"  What!  "  he  cried,  while  the  Bishop  ejacu 
lated: 

"Impossible!" 

"  But  it  was,"  she  insisted.  "  He  went  to 
get  the  coffee  for  me." 

"  Were  you  in  the  station,  too?  "  demanded 
his  Lordship. 

"  No,  I  was  out  in  a  potato-patch." 

"  You  a  member  of  that  party  of  political 
criminals  who  jumped  off  the  train!  "  cried  the 
Bishop.  "  I  heard  all  about  it  the  next  morn 
ing,  but  I  can't  believe — " 

"  It's  quite  true,"  she  assured  him. 

"  But  it's  too  remarkable,"  he  went  on. 
"  I'd  gone  to  America  on  purpose  to  find  my 
son,  of  whom  I'd  heard  nothing  for  a  year. 
And  you  say  he  was  there,  and — er — touched 
me?" 

"Why,  didn't  you  see  him  in  Montreal?" 
asked  Marchmont. 


246  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I  sailed  next  day  for  England.  I  was  on 
my  way  to  the  steamer  when  the  accident  oc 
curred  which  detained  me  overnight." 

"  Why  then  did  you  conceal  the  purpose  of 
your  trip?  "  demanded  his  tormentor. 

"  My  sister  was  much  opposed  to  my  seek 
ing  my  son,"  said  his  Lordship,  colouring 
furiously.  "  And — I — in  short,  I  had  rea 
sons." 

The  journalist  laughed. 

"  The  story's  clever,"  he  said.  "  But  I  can 
tell  a  more  interesting  tale."  And  he  pro 
ceeded  to  relate  the  adventures  of  Cecil  in  the 
person  of  "  the  Bishop,"  to  which  his  Lord 
ship  listened  with  open-mouthed  astonish 
ment. 

"There!"  concluded  his  captor  triumph 
antly.  "  Have  you  anything  to  say  to  that?  " 

"I  have,"  chimed  in  Miss  Arminster,  and 
she  gave  the  true  version  of  the  affair  from 
the  time  Banborough  had  first  engaged  them 
at  the  Grand  Central  Station. 

"  It's  a  very  plausible  story,"  said  March- 
mont,  when  she  had  finished,  "  and  does  credit 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  247 

to  your  invention.  But  fortunately  I'm  in 
a  condition  to  completely  disprove  it." 

"  Really?  "  she  asked.     "  How  so?  " 

"  I  can  produce  a  witness  of  the  whole 
transaction." 

"  Who?  " 

"  Friend  Othniel." 

"  What!   here,  on  board  the  yacht?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Marchmont,  "  on  board  this 
yacht.  And  he  can  prove  that  what  I  say  is 
true." 

"What?  About  the  Bishop?"  she  cried, 
her  voice  quivering  with  suppressed  merri 
ment. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  journalist.  "  After 
his  release  from  the  Black  Maria  he  tells  sub 
stantially  your  story,  but  gives  the  Bishop  the 
part  you  have  carefully  assigned  to  his  inno 
cent  son." 

At  this  she  once  more  broke  into  peals  of 
laughter,  but  at  last,  recovering  her  speech, 
managed  to  gasp  out: 

"  Bring  him  here,  and  see  what  he  says." 

"  I  will,"  said  Marchmont,  hurriedly  leaving 


248  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

the  cabin,  for  her  marvellous  self-possession 
was  beginning  to  arouse  unpleasant  suspicions 
even  in  his  mind. 

"  But  what  does  it  all  mean?  "  queried  the 
Bishop  helplessly,  after  the  journalist's  depart 
ure.  "  How  dare  he  say  such  things  about 
me!  I  drive.a  prison-van,  indeed!  " 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  she  replied,  striving  to  con 
trol  her  voice.  "  It's  the  greatest  practical 
joke  that  ever  was.  We  called  your  son  '  the 
Bishop/  just  as  a  nickname,  you  see,  and  of 
course  the  tramp  heard  us,  and,  after  we 
dropped  him  in  Montreal,  must  have  blown 
the  whole  thing  to  Marchmont  out  of  spite, 
and,  not  knowing  any  better,  he  thought  your 
son  really  was  the  Bishop." 

Here  his  Lordship  became  speechless,  as  the 
truth  dawned  upon  him;  and  at  that  moment 
Marchmont  entered  the  cabin,  with  Friend 
Othniel  in  tow. 

"There!"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  ec 
clesiastic.  "  Is  that  the  Bishop  of  Blan- 
ford?  " 

"Naw,"    replied   the   tramp.      "He's   old 


THE  BISHOP  IS  ABDUCTED.  249 

enough  to  be  his  father,  he  is.  The  Bishop  I 
means  is  a  young  'un." 

"  Like  this! "  cried  Violet,  opening  the 
locket  which  Cecil  had  given  her  in  Mon 
treal,  and  handing  it  to  the  tramp. 

"  That's  him  to  a  T,"  said  Friend  Othniel. 
"  I'd  know  him  among  a  thousand." 

For  a  moment  Marchmont  said  nothing  as 
he  encountered  the  full  force  of  the  cruel  dis 
illusion,  and  then  with  painstaking  precision 
he  turned  and  kicked  the  tramp  up  the  entire 
flight  of  cabin  stairs. 

"  Now,"  remarked  the  Bishop,  "  perhaps 
you'll  allow  us  to  go  free." 

"No!"  cried  the  journalist,  slamming  the 
door.  "  I've  wasted  heaps  of  cash  and  no  end 
of  time  over  this  wild-goose-chase,  but  the 
Daily  Leader  shall  have  its  scoop  yet!  If  you 
aren't  conspirators,  I'll  make  you  so,  in  spite 
of  yourselves!  You  shall  be  Spanish  spies!  " 


CHAPTER   V. 

IN    WHICH    THE    BISHOP    EATS   JAM    TART,    AND 
MISS    MATILDA    HUMBLE-PIE. 

"  Now,"  remarked  the  Bishop  to  Miss  Ar- 
minster,  as  Marchmont  quitted  the  cabin  after 
this  last  astounding  remark,  "  Now  I'm  cer 
tain  he's  mad." 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  the  lady,  "  it's  merely 
journalistic  enterprise.  I  don't  blame  him  for 
being  disappointed.  It  must  be  hard  to  find 
that  we're  not  conspirators,  after  all." 

"  But  why  should  he  wish  to  make  us  so?  " 

"  You  dear  stupid  old  Joe!  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  You  haven't  the  remotest  inkling  of  what 
American  journalism  means.  It's  sensation 
first,  last,  and  altogether.  Think  of  a  bishop, 
and  an  English  bishop  at  that,  posing  as  an 
agent  of  the  Spanish  secret  service,  and  elop 
ing  with  an  actress  on  somebody  else's  yacht. 

250 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  251 

Why,  I  can  shut  my  eyes  and  see  the  head 
lines.  They're  almost  certain  to  print  them  in 
red  ink.  There's  fame  for  you!  " 

"  But  why  should  he  wish  to  print  it  if  it's 
not  the  truth?  " 

"Truth!  My  dear  Bishop,  who  said  any 
thing  about  truth?  We  were  speaking  of 
news,  and — journalistic  enterprise." 

At  this  moment  the  door  again  burst  open, 
and  Marchmont  flung  into  the  cabin. 

"  There!  "  he  said,  with  a  tone  of  triumph, 
"  we've  sighted  an  American  steamer  down 
channel,  and  have  hoisted  the  Spanish  flag. 
We're  pursuing  her,  and  very  presently  we 
shall  be  captured,  and  you'll  be  surrendered." 

"  I  suppose,"  began  the  Bishop,  "  that,  to  a 
man  so  devoid  of  moral  consciousness  as  you 
appear  to  be,  no  arguments  of  mine — " 

"  Don't  waste  your  breath,"  broke  in  Miss 
Arminster.  "  They  wouldn't." 

"  Why,  I'm  sorry  to  cause  you  any  incon 
venience,"  said  the  journalist  amiably,  "  but 
you  see,  my  paper's  simply  panting  for  sensa 
tion,  and  when  they  hear  about  this  little 


252  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

racket  they'll  sell  extras  till  they  can't  see 
straight." 

"  And  what,  may  I  ask,  will  happen  when 
the  truth  comes  out?  "  demanded  his  Lord 
ship  severely. 

"  Oh,  the  war'll  probably  be  over  by  the 
time  you  reach  New  York,  and  you'll  cease  to 
be  interesting,"  replied  Marchmont.  "  Be 
sides,  we'll  have  had  our  scoop,  and  most 
likely,  when  the  Daily  Leader  finds  there's  no 
case  against  you  they'll  give  you  a  return 
ticket.  The  management's  generally  pretty 
liberal." 

"  Well,  I  must  say,"  spluttered  the  Bishop, 
"  that  of  all  the  brazen — unconscionable — !  " 

"  Why  did  you  raise  the  Spanish  flag?  "  in 
terrupted  Miss  Arminster. 

"  That  was  my  idea,"  said  the  journalist, 
"  and  I'm  rather  proud  of  it.  You  see,  we 
could  hardly  reverse  the  Union  Jack  as  a  sign 
of  distress,  and  then  go  full  speed  ahead,  but 
•I  don't  think  an  American  ship  would  resist 
taking  a  Spanish  prize;  and  as  soon  as  they 
get  within  firing  range  we'll  run  up  a  flag  of 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  253 

truce.  By  the  way,"  he  continued,  becoming 
quite  courteous,  now  that  he  felt  he  had  them 
in  his  power,  "  why  do  you  remain  in  this 
stuffy  cabin?  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  you 
up  on  deck,  provided  you'll  give  me  your 
parole." 

"  What,  not  to  escape? "  asked  Violet. 
"  Did  you  think  we  were  going  to  jump  over 
board  and  swim  ashore?  " 

"  No.  I  mean  that  you  should  give  your 
parole  not  to  be  anything  but  Spaniards." 

"  I  am  afraid  we  couldn't  manage  that,"  she 
replied.  "  The  Bishop  doesn't  look  nearly 
ferocious  enough." 

"  I  absolutely  refuse  to  become  a  party  to 
this  deception!  "  said  his  Lordship. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  ask  you  to  do  that,"  returned 
Marchmont,  "  only  to  promise  that  you'll  not 
try  and  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  crew  in 
your  behalf." 

"  I  shall  not  promise  anything,"  said  the 
Bishop,  "  nor  shall  I  allow  this  lady  to  do  so.. 
I'm  a  man  of  peace,  but  if  ever  I  get  hold  of 
you  on  dry  land  I'll  horsewhip  you,  if  it  costs 


254  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

me  my  see;  and  if  you  don't  leave  this  cabin 
at  once  I'll  treat  you  as  you  treated  your 
friend.  You  are  a  thorough  blackguard,  and 
not  fit  to  associate  with  gentlemen!  " 

The  journalist  started  to  say  something, 
but,  remembering  that  his  accuser  was  mus 
cular,  thought  better  of  it,  shrugged  his 
shoulders,  and  went  out  silently,  locking  the 
door  behind  him. 

"  There!  "  said  his  Lordship,  "  I  can  breathe 
more  freely  now." 

Miss  Arminster  made  no  reply,  for  the  ex 
cellent  reason  that  her  head  was  out  of  a  port 
hole,  and  she  could  not  hear  clearly  what  was 
said.  Presently  she  pulled  it  in  again,  crying, 
as  she  did  so: 

"Oh,  do  look!  This  is  great  sport!  The 
American  ship  is  running  away  from  us!  " 

Such  was  indeed  the  case.  The  vessel  they 
were  overhauling  was  a  small  tramp  steamer, 
which  had  evidently  found  courage,  through 
the  general  incapacity  of  the  Spanish  navy  and 
the  fancied  security  of  neutral  waters,  to  flaunt 
the  Stars  and  Stripes.  It  was  therefore  most 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  255 

disconcerting  to  find  herself  suddenly  pursued 
in  the  English  Channel  by  a  craft  which  had 
every  appearance  of  being  a  Spanish  gunboat. 
No  sooner  had  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
red  and  yellow  flag  of  her  enemy  than  she 
crowded  on  to  her  yards  every  stitch  of  can 
vass  she  possessed,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining 
some  advantage  from  the  light  breeze  that  was 
blowing,  while  the  black  clouds  of  smoke  which 
belched  from  her  single  funnel  showed  that 
her  engines  were  being  driven  to  their  utmost 
capacity.  She  having  a  long  lead  and  the 
combined  assistance  of  wind  and  steam,  the 
distance  between  the  pursuer  and  the  pursued 
decreased  slowly,  and  it  soon  became  evident 
that  it  was  to  be  a  stern  chase,  which  is  pro 
verbially  a  long  chase.  The  yacht,  therefore, 
turned  about  in  search  of  some  fresh  enemy  to 
whom  she  might  surrender,  and  in  this  fortune 
favored  her,  for  down  the  Channel  came  a 
great  liner,  whose  name,  albeit  she  flew  tem 
porarily  the  flag  of  another  nation,  proclaimed 
her  to  be  an  American  ship,  with  an  American 
captain  and  crew. . 


25&  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Those  on  board  the  "  Homing  Pigeon " 
now  adopted  different  tactics,  and  an  inverted 
British  ensign  replaced  the  banner  of  the 
Dons. 

As  the  yacht  stood  directly  in  the  path  of 
the  oncoming  ocean  greyhound,  and  flew  sig 
nals  of  distress  which  she  could  not  disregard, 
the  great  ship  was  forced  to  heave  to.  March- 
mont  hastened  to  convey  the  news  to  his 
prisoners  in  the  cabin,  saying  that  he  consid 
ered  them  very  fortunate,  as  they  had  every 
prospect  of  a  speedy  and  pleasant  voyage, 
and  cautioning  them  at  the  same  time,  as  he 
led  the  way  up  the  cabin  stairs,  that  resistance 
was  futile,  and  that  any  remarks  of  theirs  to 
the  crew  would  only  be  so  much  waste  of 
breath.  To  all  of  which  neither  deigned  to  an 
swer  a  word,  realising  that  in  their  present 
precarious  position  silence  was  not  only  the 
most  dignified  but  also  the  safest  course. 

As  they  reached  the  deck  the  great  liner  was 
almost  abreast  of  them,  and  gradually  came  to 
a  standstill  with  clouds  of  pent-up  steam 
pouring  from  her  safety-valves. 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  257 

"What  do  you  want?"  bawled  her  chief 
officer  through  a  megaphone,  his  voice  sound 
ing  very  large  and  clear  from  the  great  height 
above  them. 

"  We've  two  prisoners  of  war,  Spanish  spies, 
and  we  wish  to  'hand  them  over!  "  shouted  the 
mate  in  return. 

"  This  isn't  an  American  ship,"  came  the 
reply. 

"Yes,  it  is,"  howled  Marchmont;  "we 
know  better!  You  belong  to  the  '  Pink  Star ' 
line." 

The  chief  officer  conferred  with  the  captain. 

"  It's  Mason  and  Slidell  the  other  way 
round,"  he  said.  "  I  wouldn't  touch  'em  with 
a  ten-foot  pole.  Besides — "  and  here  he  seized 
the  megaphone  from  his  subordinate  and 
yelled  through  it: 

"You  infernal  idiots!  don't  you  know  the 
war  with  Spain  is  over?  We've  declared  a 
truce!" 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  cried  Marchmont, 
shaking  his  fist  at  the  great  steamship  in  a 
paroxysm  of  disappointed  rage.  "  It's  only 


258  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

an  excuse  to  shirk  your  duty!  We've  brought 
them  out  to  you,  and  you've  got  to  take 
them!  I'll  report  you  to  the  government! 
I'll—!  " 

The  sharp  ring  of  the  engine-room  bell  from 
the  liner's  bridge  was  the  only  reply  vouch 
safed  him,  and  a  moment  later  the  big  ship 
forged  ahead,  her  captain  very  red  in  the  face 
and  swearing  like  a  trooper  :  for  the  most 
precious  thing  on  board  a  racer  of  that  class  is 
time,  and  the  "  Homing  Pigeon  "  had  been 
wasting  it. 

The  Bishop,  noting  the  sheepish  faces  of  the 
mate  and  his  two  fellow  conspirators,  and  the 
lowering  glances  of  the  crew,  turned  to  Miss 
Arminster,  saying: 

"  We'd  better  return  to  the  cabin,  my  dear. 
I  think  there's  going  to  be  trouble." 

The  little  actress  followed  his  Lordship's 
gaze,  and  descended  without  a  word  of  pro 
test.  She  thought  so,  too. 

They  had  hardly  entered  the  saloon,  when 
there  came  a  respectful  knock  at  the  door,  and 
an  elderly  seaman  entered,  ducking  his  head. 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  259 

"  Well,  my  good  man,"  said  his  Lordship, 
"  what  can  I  do  for  you?  " 

"  Meanin'  no  disrespect,  sir,  be  you  really 
the  Bishop  of  Blanford?  " 

"  Certainly  I  am,"  that  gentleman  replied. 
"  You  see  my  dress,  and,"  as  a  happy 
thought  struck  him,  "  here's  one  of  my  cards 
to  prove  my  identity."  And  he  handed  the 
sailor  a  bit  of  pasteboard  with  his  title  en 
graved  thereon. 

"  And  the  lady?  "  asked  the  seaman. 

"  The  lady  is  no  more  connected  with  this 
absurd  charge  than  I  am,"  pursued  the  Bishop. 
''  You've  been  grievously  misled  by  your  mate 
and  these  two  strangers.  But  if  you'll  take 
us  safe  to  the  nearest  port,  I'll  speak  a  word 
in  your  favour  to  your  master,  Lord  Down- 
ton,  who's  an  intimate  friend  of  mine.  Can 
you  read? " 

"  Yes,  your  honour." 

"  Then  here's  a  letter  from  his  Lordship, 
which  I  fortunately  have  by  me,  requesting 
me  to  join  his  yacht.  Read  it  yourself,  and 


260  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

show  it  to  your  fellows  as  a  proof  of  who  I 
am."  And  he  handed  him  the  missive. 

The  sailor  took  it,  ducked  again,  and  retired 
silently,  and  there  was  presently  a  great  shuf 
fling  of  feet  on  the  deck  above. 

"  What  do  you  think  there're  doing? " 
asked  Violet. 

"  I  trust  they're  coming  to  their  senses — 
and  if — "  But  his  remarks  were  interrupted 
by  a  most  terrific  row  overhead,  shouts,  blows, 
and  curses. 

"Bless  my  soul!"  exclaimed  the  Bishop. 
"  What  can  be  the  matter?  " 

"  They're  squaring  accounts  with  March- 
mount,  Friend  Othniel,  and  the  mate,  I 
guess,"  she  replied,  "  and  I  hope  they'll  half 
kill  them." 

"  Fie,  fie!  my  dear  Leopard — most  un 
christian.  I  must  certainly  go  and — " 

"  No,  you  mustn't  do  anything  of  the  sort! 
Stay  right  where  you  are.  We're  in  hot 
enough  water  already."  And  suiting  the  ac 
tion  to  the  word,  she  pushed  him  back  on  to 
the  divan. 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  261 

"  Well,  really — !  "  remarked  the  Bishop, 
and  collapsed  amiably. 

Presently  the  sounds  of  commotion  ceased, 
and  gave  way  to  laughter,  but  laughter  with  a 
certain  grim  note  in  it  that  boded  ill  for  those 
laughed  at.  After  a  little,  there  came  another 
knock  at  the  cabin  door,  and  this  time  quite  a 
deputation  entered  the  saloon,  the  sailor 
who  had  first  visited  them  being  the  spokes 
man. 

"  Having  disposed  of  those  gents  as  you 
suggested — "  he  began. 

"No,  no!"  the  Bishop  hastened  to  dis 
claim,  "  I  suggested  nothing." 

"  Well,"  said  the  seaman,  "  we've  fixed  'em, 
anyway.  And  now  we're  heading  for  the  near 
est  port,  which  the  same's  Weymouth,  and 
we  hopes  you'll  overlook  what's  gone  before, 
and  come  on  deck  and  take  command  of  this 
yacht." 

"  I  will  certainly  come  on  deck,"  replied  the 
Bishop.  "  But  as  to  assuming  command  %of 
the  ship,  I  hardly  feel  qualified.  Is  there  not 
some  one  among  you — ?  " 


262  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I'm  bo'sn,  please  your  honour,"  volun 
teered  the  speaker. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  Bishop  blandly,  "  then  I  ap 
point  you."  And  as  the  men  fell  back,  he 
escorted  Miss  Arminster  upstairs. 

As  they  appeared  on  deck,  a  striking  scene 
met  their  eyes.  Three  wretched  figures  were 
triced  up  to  the  mainmast.  They  had  only 
such  remnants  of  clothes  remaining  on  their 
persons  as  decency  demanded,  and  they  'had 
all  evidently  made  a  recent  acquaintance  with 
the  ship's  tar-barrel  and  slush-bucket. 

As  his  Lordship  and  Miss  Arminster  ap 
peared,  the  crew  approached,  expecting  a 
speech. 

"  I  hardly  know  what  to  say,"  began  the 
Bishop  to  Violet. 

"  Let  me  speak  to  them,  will  you?  "  she 
asked,  her  eyes  sparkling.  "  I  understand  hu 
man  nature  pretty  well.  I  have  to,  in  my  pro 
fession." 

His  Lordship  nodded  assent,  and  a  moment 
later  she  had  sprung  on  to  the  cabin  hatch, 
a  most  entrancing  little  figure,  and  instantly 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  263 

commanded  the  attention  and  admiration  of 
her  audience. 

"Mates!"  she  cried,  in  her  clear  ringing 
voice,  "  mates,  I  want  a  word  with  you." 

"  Speak  up,  and  welcome!  "  called  some  one 
in  the  crowd,  while  the  boatswain,  nudging  a 
comrade  in  the  ribs,  remarked  under  his 
breath: 

"  My  eye,  but  she's  a  stunner!  " 

Silence  having  been  obtained,  she  con 
tinued: 

"  I've  only  this  to  say.  We've  all  been  made 
fools  of.  Those  gentlemen  tied  up  to  the  mast 
made  fools  of  you,  and  you've  certainly  made 
fools  of  them." 

A  loud  laugh  greeted  this  sally. 

"  And,"  she  resumed,  "  if  it  ever  gets  out 
that  his  Lordship  the  Bishop  of  Blanford  and 
myself  were  carried  off  as  Spanish  spies,  we'll 
never  hear  the  last  of  it.  Now  let's  all  keep 
silence  for  the  sake  of  the  others.  Put  us 
ashore  at  Weymouth,  and  we'll  say  to  Lord 
Downton  that  it  was  our  wish  to  be  landed 
there.  He  won't  know  about  the  occurrences 


264  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

of  this  day,  unless  some  of  you  tell  him.  You 
might  leave  the  journalist  and  the  tramp  at 
Weymouth,  too.  I  guess  they'll  have  had 
enough  of  the  sea  to  last  them  for  some  time. 
And  oh,  by  the  way,  I  suppose  Mr.  March- 
mont  intended  to  pay  you  for  this.  Perhaps 
you'll  see  that  the  division  is  properly  carried 
out." 

"Ay,  ay!"  came  from  twenty  throats,  fol 
lowed  by  a  rousing  cheer. 

And  so  it  happened  that  they  reached  terra 
firma  about  six  in  the  afternoon.  But  Wey 
mouth,  while  it  is  geographically  not  far  dis 
tant  from  Blanford,  is  miles  away  by  the  rail 
road  and  its  connections,  and  they  did  not 
reach  the  palace  till  nearly  midnight. 

Everything  was  dark  and  still,  and  as  they 
stood  shivering  in  the  porch,  the  Bishop  re 
marked,  producing  his  latch-key: 

"  Do  you  know  I — I'm  really  afraid  to  open 
the  door." 

She  gave  his  hand  a  reassuring  squeeze,  and 
they  entered  softly. 

"  Is    there    anything    I    can    get    for    the 


JAM   TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  265 

Leopard,  before  she  retires?  "  he  asked  apolo 
getically,  as  they  crossed  the  stone-paved  floor 
of  the  palace  by  the  aid  of  a  single  bedroom 
candle,  which  only  served  to  accentuate  the 
surrounding  darkness. 

"  No,  thank  you,  I'm  all  right,"  she  faltered, 
putting  her  foot  on  the  first  step  of  the  stairs. 
And  then,  without  the  slightest  warning,  she 
burst  into  tears. 

His  Lordship,  completely  bewildered  at  this 
unexpected  turn  of  affairs,  patted  her  on  the 
head,  saying:  "  Dear,  dear! "  much  as  he 
would  have  done  to  obstreperous  babies  sus 
picious  of  baptism.  But  the  fair  Violet  wept 
on. 

"What  is  it?"  said  the  Bishop.  "What 
have  I  done?  " 

"  You  haven't  done  anything,"  she  replied 
between  her  sobs,  "  but  I — I'm  so  dreadfully 
hungry." 

"Dear  me!"  exclaimed  his  Lordship,  "I 
forgot  all  about  dinner." 

It  was  quite  true  that,  in  his  anxiety  to 
catch  trains  and  make  a  series  of  bewildering 


266  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

connections,  the  question  of  food  had  entirely 
escaped  his  memory,  and,  now  he  came  to 
think  of  it,  he  was  ravenously  hungry  him 
self. 

"  I'm  so  sorry,"  he  said  helplessly.  "  We 
must  see  what  we  can  find." 

It  was  years  since  he  had  dared  to  investi 
gate  his  own  pantries;  but  under  the  spur  of 
Miss  Arminster's  necessities  he  achieved 
prodigies  of  valour,  even  breaking  into  that 
holy  of  holies,  his  sister's  jam-closet.  The 
little  actress  aided  and  abetted  him,  creating 
havoc  among  jars  of  sardines,  olives,  and 
caviare.  And  then,  while  they  were  in  the 
midst  of  their  midnight  orgy,  a  figure  ap 
peared  before  them — a  figure  clad  in  an  in 
describable  dressing-gown  and  carrying  a  bed 
room  candle. 

"  Josephus,"  said  the  apparition,  "  is  that 
you?  " 

"  Yes,  my  dear,"  replied  the  Bishop,  with 
his  mouth  full  of  jam  tart,  "  it  is." 

"  I  wonder  you've  the  face  to  enter  the 
house!  "  said  his  sister. 


JAM  TARTS  AND  HUMBLE-PIE.  267 

"  His  own  house!  That's  good,"  com 
mented  Miss  Arminster  from  the  midst  of  sar 
dines. 

"  I  admit  that  the  circumstances  are  un 
usual,"  remarked  the  Bishop,  cutting  himself 
another  large  slice  of  the  pastry,  "  but  the 
train  service  is  most  irregular,  and,  as  you  can 
see,  it  was  necessary  to  bring  the  Leopard 
home  to-night,  and  so — " 

"  Josephus!  "  broke  in  his  sister,  "  there  are 
no  leopards  in  this  country,  and  I  can  see  that 
to  the  other  sins  you  have  undoubtedly  com 
mitted  you  have  added  the  vice  of — " 

But  she  got  no  further,  for  the  Bishop,  cast 
ing  a  glance  at  each  of  the  two  women,  de 
cided  that  now  or  never  was  salvation  at  hand, 
and  said  brusquely: 

"  Matilda,  go  to  bed  at  once! " 

It  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  spoken  to 
her  in  tones  of  authority,  and  his  sister,  not  be 
lieving  her  ears,  returned  to  the  charge. 

"  And  as  for  that  shameless  minx — "  she 
continued;  but  his  Lordship  again  inter 
rupted,  remarking  severely: 


268  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOP4RD. 

"  Matilda,  go  to  bed  instantly! " 

But  the  spinster  was  not  yet  defeated. 

"Josephus!"  she  began,  in  her  most  ap 
proved  style. 

"  Go  to  bed!  "  repeated  the  Bishop  sharply. 

For  one  moment  she  wavered.  Then, 
realising  that  under  the  present  conditions 
resistance  was  worse  than  useless,  she  turned 
slowly  upon  her  heel,  and  marched  upstairs 
with  the  air  of  a  martyr  going  to  the  stake. 

"  You  were  right,"  said  his  Lordship  mood 
ily,  as  he  disposed  of  the  last  piece  of  pie 
crust. 

"  Right  about  what?  "  asked  Violet. 

"  Mud-baths,"  returned  the  Bishop. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IN  WHICH  MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO 
MARRY   AGAIN. 

CECIL  and  Miss  Matilda  breakfasted  alone 
the  next  morning.  This  was  not  by  intention, 
but  by  fate.  Violet  and  the  Bishop,  for 
obvious  reasons,  kept  their  respective  rooms. 
Mrs.  Mackintosh  had  felt  it  her  duty  to  break 
fast  with,  and  comfort,  her  friend  in  distress, 
likewise  to  receive  an  early  account  of  the 
doings  of  the  day  before;  while  Smith  and 
Spotts,  hearing  that  the  fugitives  had  re 
turned,  took  an  early  breakfast  and  adjourned 
to  the  neighboring  golf-links.  Cecil,  however, 
who  slept  well,  came  down  at  the  usual  hour, 
quite  unconscious  of  what  was  impending, 
and  calmly  walked  into  the  trap. 

After  the  ancient  butler  had  passed  the  tea 

269 


270  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

and  toast,  and  then  withdrawn,  as  was  his 
wont,  leaving  them  to  carve  out  their  own 
salvation,  Miss  Matilda  lost  no  time  in  open 
ing  up  the  contest.  She  had  been  at  swords' 
points  with  her  nephew  ever  since  the  evening 
before,  as  a  result  of  his  stoutly  maintaining 
his  father's  innocence,  and  the  manner  in 
which  she  reported  her  midnight  meeting 
would  have  made  even  Marchmont  envious. 

"  And  now  of  course  he'll  have  to  marry 
her,"  she  wound  up  her  recital. 

"  Good  heavens!  I  hope  not!  "  ejaculated 
Cecil. 

"  I'm  glad,"  remarked  his  aunt  stiffly,  "  that 
we've  at  least  one  point  of  agreement." 

"  Oh,  we  are  quite  agreed  on  that,"  he  re 
turned.  "  It  would  never  do  at  all;  in  fact 
it's  quite  impossible." 

"  You  know,  then?  "  she  demanded. 

"  Know  what?  "  he  asked  cautiously. 

"  That  she's  been  married  dozens  of  times 
already." 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  subscribe  to  more  than 
half  a  dozen.  But  Miss  Arminster  certainly 


MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AGAIN.  271 

does  seem  to  have  a  fondness  for  that  sort  of 
thing." 

"  And  in  the  face  of  such  scandalous  pro 
ceedings  do  you  consider  her  a  fit  person  to 
marry  your  poor  misguided  father?  " 

"  I've  told  you  I  don't  approve,"  he  said, 
and  added:  "  How  did  you  come  to  know 
about  Miss  Arminster's  marriages?  " 

"  Mr.  Marchmont  told  me." 

"Confound  him!" 

"Cecil!    Mr.  Marchmont's  a  gentleman." 

"  He's  a  mischief-maker  of  the  first  water." 

"  Do  not  let  us  waste  time  in  discussing  his 
character.  The  important  question  is,  what 
are  we  to  do  about  your  father's  marriage?  " 

"  Stop  it." 

"  But  how?  "  she  asked.    "  Shall  I  speak?  " 

"No,  no;  leave  it  to  me,"  he  said.  "  I'll  un 
dertake  to  settle  the  matter.  If  you  saw  the 
Bishop,  you'd  only  irritate  him." 

"  He  told  me  to  go  to  bed,  last  night,  after 
that  woman  had  insulted  me." 

"  Insulted  you?  I  thought  you  told  me 
she'd  nothing  to  say  for  herself." 


272  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Her  presence  was  an  insult,  and  one  of 
us  leaves  this  house  to-day,"  replied  his  aunt, 
and  swept  out  of  the  room. 

Cecil  gulped  down  his  tea,  and,  ringing  the 
bell,  sent  an  urgent  message  to  Miss  Armin- 
ster,  requesting  a  meeting  in  his  aunt's 
boudoir,  which,  considering  the  purpose  of 
the  interview,  he  was  sure  Miss  Matilda  would 
not  object  to  put  at  her  disposal. 

Violet  received  him  in  about  twenty  min 
utes,  apologising  for  her  charming  tea-gown, 
on  the  ground  of  being  somewhat  seedy. 

"  Our  supper  last  night  was  rather  extra 
ordinary,  you  know,"  she  said. 

"  I've  only  heard  one  version,"  he  replied. 

"  Miss  Matilda's?  "  she  asked,  laughing. 

He  nodded. 

"  I  fancy  it  was  lurid  enough,"  she  went  on; 
"  but  your  good  father's  out  of  leading-strings 
this  time,  and  no  mistake." 

"  Tell  me  all  about  it,"  he  said.  "  I'm  most 
anxious  to  know." 

"  Of  course  you  are,"  she  returned.  "  So 
here  goes." 


MISS  ARM1NSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AG AM.  273 

Banborough  enjoyed  the  recital  immensely, 
and  laughed  immoderately  at  certain  passages. 

"  So  the  governor  knows  all  about  our  ad 
ventures?  "  he  said,  when  she  had  finished. 
;'  Did  he  seem  much  upset?  " 

"  Only  about  not  recognising  you  when  you 
blacked  his  eye  under  the  bar." 

"  What  a  good  old  chap  he  is!  Just  think 
of  his  coming  all  that  way  to  hunt  me  up!  I 
wish  he  could  have  some  fun  out  of  life." 

"  We  must  try  and  help  him  to  do  so,"  she 
said. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  suddenly  recollecting  the 
object  of  his  mission.  "  It's  just  that  that  I've 
come  about.  You  see  he's  awfully  conscien 
tious,  and  when  he's  thought  things  over  a 
bit,  helped  by  my  aunt's  amiable  suggestions, 
he'll  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  ought  to 
marry  you,  you  know — and  so — well,  he'll  try 
to  do  it,"  he  ended  lamely,  hoping  s'he  would 
see  the  point  without  further  elucidation  on 
his  part. 

She  was  quick  to  take  him  up. 

"  And  you  don't  think  that's  just  the  best 


274  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

way  for  him  to  have  a  good  time?  Sour 
grapes — eh,  my  son?  " 

"  No,  no;  only  he's  certain  to  propose  to 
you." 

"  Supposing  he  has  done  so?  " 

"  Well — did  you  accept  him?  " 

"  What  do  you  think?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  don't  quite  see  how  you  could — under 
the  circumstances." 

"  Oh,  he'd  only  had  two  bottles  of  cham 
pagne,"  she  said,  purposely  misunderstanding 
him  from  pure  joy  of  seeing  him  flounder. 

"  I  didn't  mean  that,"  he  went  on.  "  But, 
anyway,  his  conscience  will  reassert  itself,  and 
he'll  probably  propose  again  this  morning — 
ponderously." 

"  And  you're  afraid  I  might  accept?  " 

"  I'm  sure  you'd  make  a  most  charming 
step-mamma,"  he  replied,  "  only — " 

"  Only  what?  " 

"  Only  the — the  others  might  object, 
mightn't  they?  " 

"  The  others?  " 


MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AGAIN.  275 

"  All  the  men  you've  married,"  he  blurted 
out,  "  if  you  will  have  it." 

"  I  see,"  she  said  meditatively.  "  And  you 
don't  want  to  run  the  '  dear  Bishop '  in  for 
another  scandal." 

"  Of  course,  if  you  choose  to  put  it  that 
way — " 

"  It's  the  way  you'd  put  it  if  you  only  had 
the  pluck,"  she  retorted. 

"  Are  you  awfully  angry  with  me? "  he 
asked,  looking  at  her. 

"  Not  a  bit,"  she  replied.  "  From  your 
point  of  view  it's  quite  justifiable,  I  suppose, 
and  I'm  only  considering  the  best  way  out  of 
the  dilemma." 

"  Are  there  several?  " 

"  There's  only  one  that  I  care  to  choose." 

"And  that  is?" 

"  I  shall  marry  again." 

"  Good  heavens!  not — !  " 

"  Not  your  father,  no;  some  one  else." 

"  But  surely—!" 

"  You  see,"  she  continued  calmly,  ignoring 
his  interruption,  "  if  I  marry  some  one  at  once 


276  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

your  father  can't  have  any  feeling  of — shall 
we  say  responsibility?  And  it'll  not  be  neces 
sary  for  me  to  go  into  what  Miss  Matilda 
would  call  '  my  shameful  past.' ' 

"  But  I  really  couldn't  allow—" 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  going  to  marry  you  either, 
so  you  needn't  be  alarmed.  Can't  you  make 
some  suggestions  to  help  me  out?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  you  must  excuse  me,"  he  said, 
fast  becoming  scandalised  at  her  matter-of-fact 
way  of  approaching  the  subject. 

"  Well,  of  course,"  she  went  on  thought 
fully,  "  there  are  all  your  father's  chaplains, 
but  they're  young,  and  prone  to  take  things 
seriously.  No,  I  don't  think  they'd  do.  And 
there's  the  butler.  No,  he  wouldn't  answer, 
either." 

"  Perhaps  Miss  Matilda  would  lend  you 
Professor  Smith." 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  I  don't  think  I'd  have  the 
heart  to  deprive  her  of  him.  On  the  whole,  i 
think  I'll  marry  Mr.  Spotts.  He's  nice — and 
handy." 


MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AGAIN.  277 

"  But  mightn't  he  have  something  to  say?  " 
began  Banborough. 

"  Probably,"  admitted  Violet;  "  but  he  gen 
erally  does  what  he's  told,  and  as  he  isn't  mar 
ried  to  any  one  else,  I  dare  say  he'll  prove 
amenable  when  he  understands  the  position. 
I'll  try  and  see  him  this  morning,  and,"  as  a 
brilliant  idea  struck  her,  "  your  father  shall 
perform  the  ceremony.  I  never  was  married 
by  a  Bishop  before.  Won't  it  be  jolly!  " 

"  You  surely  can't  seriously  intend — " 
began  Cecil. 

"  Yes,  I  do.  Now  don't  be  stupid,  but  run 
along  and  let  me  finish  my  toilet."  And  she 
ran  out  of  the  room. 

Banborough  walked  away  in  a  maze.  He 
had  thought  to  straighten  matters  out,  and  he 
had  only  got  them  into  a  far  worse  tangle. 
That  Miss  Arminster  had  no  conscientious 
scruples  about  adding  another  husband  to  her 
quota  was  bad  enough,  but  that  his  innocent, 
unsuspecting  father  should  be  allowed  to  dis 
grace  his  cloth  by  solemnising  such  a  marriage 
was  really  more  than  he  could  stand.  In  his 


278  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

righteous  wrath  he  determined  that  the 
Bishop  should  know  the  whole  truth,  sooth 
ing  his  conscience  by  the  thought  that  if  he 
did  not  tell  him,  Miss  Matilda  would. 

In  the  hall  of  the  palace,  however,  he  ran 
across  Spotts,  laden  with  the  implements  of 
golf,  and  all  unconscious  of  his  impending 
fate. 

"  Look  here,  old  man,"  said  Cecil,  "  I  want 
to  have  five  minutes'  chat  with  you." 

"  I  am  quite  at  your  service,"  replied  his 
friend.  "  In  fact  I  was  just  coming  to  look 
you  up  myself.  Now  that  the  war's  over,  I 
must  really  be  thinking  of  going  away,  as  I've 
imposed  long  enough  already  on  your  hos 
pitality." 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  about  that  I  want  to  see  you," 
said  Banborough.  "  It's  about  your  getting 
married." 

"  My  getting  married?  "  queried  Spotts. 

"  Yes.  It  seems  there's  a  lady  who  has 
matrimonial  designs  on  you.  I  thought  it  was 
only  the  part  of  a  friend  to  warn  you  in  due 
season." 


MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AG AW.  279 

"  If  it's  your  aunt,"  returned  the  actor, 
"  I'm  very  much  obliged.  I  think  I  could 
manage  to  get  packed  up  and  leave  by  the 
afternoon  train." 

"  No,  no;  it  isn't  so  bad  as  that,"  said  his 
host.  "  Or,  rather,  it's  worse.  Miss  Armin- 
ster  has  you  under  consideration." 

"  As  a  husband?  " 

"  Yes.  I  think  she  means  to  marry  you  to 
morrow  or  next  day,  and  have  my  father  per 
form  the  ceremony." 

"  Oh,  I  see.  And  you've  some  feeling  about 
it." 

"  Well,  yes,"  admitted  Cecil,  "  I'm  afraid  I 
have." 

"  I  suppose  you'd  like  to  take  my  place?  " 

"  No,  it  isn't  that  either.  Yon  don't  seem 
to  see  the  point.  Miss  Arminster  wants  to 
marry  you." 

"  Well,  isn't  that  a  question  between  Miss 
Arminster  and  myself  ?  " 

"  Naturally.  But  then  she's  married  pretty 
frequently,  hasn't  she?  Of  course,  if  all  her 
husbands  are  dead — " 


280  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Spotts.  "  I  don't  think  she's 
ever  lost  a  husband." 

"  But  you  surely  can't  contemplate — " 
began  Cecil. 

"  Well,  you  see,"  contended  the  actor, 
"  this  is  the  first  time  she's  ever  asked  me  to 
marry  her,  and  one  can't  be  so  ungallant  as  to 
refuse  a  lady." 

"  And  you'll  really  add  yourself  to  her  list?  " 

Spotts  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  want  to 
appear  rude,  but  this  interference  in  my  pros 
pective  matrimonial  affairs  seems  to  me  ill- 
timed.  Miss  Arminster  hasn't  as  yet  proposed 
to  me,  and  if  she  does,  I'll  probably  consent 
to  oblige  her.  Anyway,  it's  doing  you  a 
favour,  as  I  suppose  your  father  would  wish 
to  marry  her  if  I  didn't."  And  turning  on  his 
heel,  he  walked  away. 

As  he  ascended  the  stairs,  he  met  Violet 
coming  down.  They  were  standing  on  the 
broad  landing,  and  for  the  moment  were  quite 
alone  and  out  of  earshot. 

"I  say!"  burst  out  the  actor.     "Do  you 


MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AG/tlN.  281 

know  I  have  just  been  warned  against  you  by 
your  friend  Banborough.  A  joke's  a  joke,  but 
this  is  going  too  far." 

"  I  know,  Alvy,"  she  said,  "  I  know,  and  I'm 
awfully  sorry.  But  it's  almost  over." 

"  I  hope  it  is,"  he  replied.  "  I  have  held 
an  equivocal  position  for  months,  and  it  isn't 
pleasant.  Why,  I've  practically  seen  nothing 
of  you." 

"  It  hasn't  been  pleasant  for  me  either,  old 
man.  But,  to  speak  frankly,  you  know  as  well 
as  I  do  that  it's  been  largely  a  sentimental  in 
terest  which  has  caused  Cecil  to  get  us  all  out 
of  this  scrape.  However,  if  he  doesn't  tell  his 
father  to-day — and  I  tried  hard  enough  to 
force  him  to  do  so  this  morning — I  shall." 

"  Good!  Then  his  Lordship's  Leopard  will 
be  free,"  said  Spotts.  And  pressing  her  hand, 
he  proceeded  on  his  way  upstairs. 

In  the  face  of  his  two  interviews,  Cecil  felt 
he  had  no  option  but  to  refer  the  whole  matter 
to  the  Bishop,  whom  he  found  in  his  study. 
He  received  a  somewhat  grim  reception  from 
the  old  gentleman,  to  whom  a  sleepless  night 


282  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

had  afforded  ample  opportunity  for  reflecting 
on  the  vagaries  of  his  son,  to  which  he,  not 
altogether  unjustly,  attributed  his  adventures 
of  the  preceding  day. 

After  formal  salutations  had  been  ex 
changed,  the  younger  man,  feeling  that  a  dis 
agreeable  business  was  the  better  over,  lost  no 
time  in  coming  to  the  point. 

"  I  don't  know  that  there's  anything  to  be 
said  about  the  past,  father,"  he  began. 

"  I  should  think  there  was  a  great  deal  to  be 
said,"  returned  his  Lordship  brusquely.  "  But 
this  is  perhaps  not  the  best  time  to  say  it.  I've 
been  told  a  very  astonishing  story  by  Miss 
Arminster." 

"  About  the  Black  Maria  and — the  Spanish 
plot?" 

"  About  your  wretched  novel,  sir!  " 

"  Ah,  yes.  Well,  I  corroborate  it  all,  word 
for  word.  Miss  Arminster  told  me  about  it 
this  morning." 

"  You've  seen  her,  then?  " 

"  Yes.  We  had  a  chat  concerning  a  num 
ber  of  things.  But,  as  you  suggest,  we  might 


MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AGAIN.  283 

reserve  the  discussion  of  our  joint  American 
experiences  till  another  occasion,  so  I  won't 
mention  them  beyond  apologising  to  you  for 
•having  blacked  your  eye  under  the  bar; 
though  of  course  I  could  hardly  have  sup 
posed  that  your  ecclesiastical  duties  would 
have  placed  you  in  just  that  position." 

"  Say,  rather,  the  search  for  an  unregener- 
ate  son,"  suggested  the  Bishop,  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye  which  showed  him  to  be  in  better 
humour. 

"  Well,  anyway,  you  gave  as  good  as  you 
got,"  said  Cecil.  "  My  ribs  were  sore  for  a 
week  afterwards." 

"  Ah,"  replied  his  Lordship.  "  I  thought  I 
must  have  landed  you  one.  I  haven't  quite 
forgotten  the  athletics  of  my  college  days." 

"  Then  we're  quits,"  returned  Cecil.  "  But 
it  was  more  than  good  of  you  to  come  out 
there  and  look  for  me.  A  father  who  could 
do  all  that  deserves  a  somewhat  better  son 
than  I've  been  in  the  past;  and  in  the  fu 
ture—" 

"  Don't  say  it,  Cecil.    I  know  it."    And  the 


284  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Bishop  gripped  his  hand  in  a  way  that  caused 
the  mental  and  moral  atmosphere  to  clear  in 
stantly. 

"  And  now/'  said  his  son,  "  I  want  to  talk 
about  Miss  Arminster." 

"  It's  the  subject  nearest  my  heart,"  replied 
his  father. 

"  I  asked  her  to  marry  me  at  Montreal," 
Cecil  remarked  simply. 

"  So  I  inferred  from  what  she  said  on  the 
yacht,"  said  his  Lordship. 

"  And  you  proposed  to  her  yesterday." 

"Did  she  tell  you?" 

"  Yes." 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  the  fact  is  she  doesn't  want  to  marry 
either  of  us." 

The  Bishop  nodded  his  head  despondently. 

"  But,"  continued  the  younger  man,  "  she 
contemplates  marrying  some  one  else." 

"  Ah,"  said  his  Lordship,  "  I'm  heartily  glad 
she  proposes  to  marry — after  yesterday." 

"  Quite  so,  and  she  means  to  ask  you  to 
perform  the  ceremony." 


MISS  ARM1NSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AC  AM.  285 

"  Isn't  that  rather — " 

"  Rubbing  it  in?  "  suggested  Cecil.  "  So  it 
seemed  to  me." 

"  Who  is  the  —  er  —  prospective  bride 
groom?  " 

"  Spotts." 

"  He  seems  a  good  fellow." 

"  Yes,  but — will  you  forgive  me  if  I  speak 
frankly?  There  can't  be  any  feeling  of  jealousy 
between  us;  we've  both  been  worsted." 

"  What  do  you  wish  to  say?  " 

"  That  I'm  afraid  this  marriage  must  not 
be  permitted.  You  see,  Miss  Arminster  isn't 
quite  what  she  seems." 

"  If  you're  going  to  say  anything  against 
that  young  lady — ! "  began  his  Lordship 
angrily. 

"  You  forget,"  said  his  son,  "  I  wanted  to 
marry  her." 

His  father  remembered;  and  remembering, 
said: 

"  Proceed." 

"  Well,  I  found  out,  for  myself  I  mean,  that 


286  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Miss  Arminster  had  been  married  a  number 
of  times." 

"  A  number  of  times!  " 

"  Half  a  dozen  at  least.    Perhaps  more." 

"Impossible!" 

"  She  admitted  as  much  to  me." 

"  But  surely—! " 

"  As  far  as  I  know,  none  of  her  husbands 
has  died." 

"  In  America,"  began  the  Bishop,  "  the 
divorce  laws  are  lax,  and  perhaps — " 

"  Oh,  no,  I'm  sure  she  hasn't  been  divorced. 
I  don't  think  she'd  approve  of  it." 

"  But  then — it  means — " 

"  Yes,  that's  just  the  point.  And  so  an 
other  marriage  with  this  Mr.  Spotts — " 

"Must  be  stopped  at  all  costs!"  cried  his 
Lordship,  growing  very  red  in  the  face  with 
agitation. 

"  I  thought  you'd  feel  so,"  said  his  son. 
"  And  that's  why  I  ventured — " 

At  this  moment  Miss  Matilda  entered  the 
room. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about,  Josephus?  " 


MISS  ARMINSTER  PROPOSES  TO  MARRY  AGAIN.  287 

she  demanded,  assuming  a  domination  of 
which  she  felt  by  no  means  sure.  "  Did  I  hear 
you  mention  that  hussy's  name?  " 

"  I  was  speaking,"  said  the  Bishop,  "  of 
Miss  Arminster.  Cecil  tells  me  she's  to  marry 
Mr.  Spotts." 

"  That's  impossible,"  snapped  Miss  Matilda. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  asked  her  brother. 

"  I  mean  what  I  say.  While  you  were 
shamelessly  gallivanting  down  the  Channel, 
I  went  over  to  the  little  church  near  the  ruined 
abbey  which  you  visited  the  day  you  met  Mr. 
Marchmont,  and  there  I  found  a  record  of  the 
marriage,  in  1895,  of  this  person  who  calls  her 
self  Miss  Arminster,  and  I  say  she  can't  marry 
Mr.  Spotts." 

"  Why  not?  " 

"  Because  she's  married  to  him  already!  " 


CHAPTER    VII. 

IN    WHICH    MISS    ARMINSTER    VERIFIES    THE 
PROVERB. 

THE  Bishop  was  pacing  his  garden.  He 
was  far  from  happy.  It  is  true  he  had  not 
been  worsted  in  his  encounter  with  his  sister. 
There  had  been  a  drawn  battle,  and  he  had  re 
tired  with  dignity,  conceding  nothing  but  that 
he  would  ask  Miss  Arminster  to  come  to  his 
study  at  noon  and  explain  her  position.  He 
could  not  believe  the  charges  against  the 
charming  Violet,  but  nevertheless  he  felt  de 
cidedly  uncomfortable:  for  even  if  she  cleared 
herself,  she  was  still  married,  and  the  palace 
lacked  a  mistress. 

It  was  easy  to  say  that  Miss  Matilda  should 
be  deposed,  but  who  should  take  her  place? 

Not  another  man's  wife,  certainly.     For  the 

288 


MISS  4RMINSTER   VERIFIES  THE  PROVERB.   289 

first  time  in  all  these  years,  his  Lordship 
realised  how  lonely  he  had  been.  He  should 
have  remarried  long  before,  and  indeed  even 
so  unworldly  a  person  as  he  knew  that  more 
than  one  young  lady  in  Blanford  would  have 
viewed  with  complacency  the  prospect  of  be 
coming  Mrs.  Bishop. 

A  young  wife,  however,  even  as  attractive 
as  the  fair  Violet,  was  not,  he  told  himself, 
exactly  what  he  wanted.  He  had  tried  a 
period  of  double  rule  in  which  his  sister  was 
the  power  behind  the  throne,  and  it  was  in 
finitely  worse  than  the  present  regime.  No; 
if  he  took  another  helpmate,  she  must  be  a 
person  of  strong  will,  some  one  who  could 
hold  her  own  against  all  comers,  some  one 
who  should  have  an  inexhaustible  fund  of 
sympathy  for  his  work,  some  one  whose  ap 
preciation  of  the  exalted  position  of  the 
Bishop  of  Blanford  should  be  so  great  as  to 
blind  her,  occasionally  at  least,  to  those  minor 
faults  to  which,  Scripture  tells  us,  all  flesh  is 
heir. 

It  was  at  just  this  point  in  his  meditations 


290  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

that  his  Lordship,  turning  sharply  round  the 
corner  of  a  large  gooseberry-bush,  came  sud 
denly  upon  Mrs.  Mackintosh.  Their  surprise 
was  mutual,  for  the  good  lady  had  evidently 
been  gardening,  and  was  suffering  from  the 
rigour  of  the  game. 

"  That  head  man  of  yours  is  a  duffer,"  she 
said  sharply,  pointing  a  very  earthy  trowel  at 
the  unconscious  figure  of  the  gardener,  who 
was  busy  in  the  middle  distance  digging  po 
tatoes.  "  A  man,"  she  continued,  "  who  calls 
a  plain,  every-day  squash  a  vegetable  marrow 
isn't  fit  to  run  a  well-ordered  truck-patch; 
though  it's  no  more  than  might  be  expected 
in  a  country  where  they  sell  bread  by  the  yard, 
and  flour  by  the  gallon.  And  what,  I  should 
like  to  know,  is  a  '  punnet '?  " 

"  I'm  afraid,  madam,  I  must  confess  my  ig 
norance,"  replied  the  Bishop. 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  she  retorted.  "  And 
yet  they  put  you  in  command  of  a  diocese. 
Your  gardener  said  to  me  this  morning:  '  I'll 
pick  a  "  punnet "  of  strawberries  to-day.' 
'  You'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind,'  I  told  him. 


MISS  ARM1NSTER   VERIFIES   THE  PROVERB.   291 

'  Pick  them  in  a  Christian  basket,  or  not  at 
all.'  " 

His  Lordship  laughed. 

"  It's  some  sort  of  measure,  I  imagine," 
he  remarked. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder.  And  your  cook's 
just  as  bad.  She  asked  me  yesterday  if  I 
liked  jugged  hare.  '  Let  me  see  your  jug/ 
said  I,  '  and  then  I'll  tell  you.'  And  as  sure's 
I'm  a  sinner,  she  told  me  she  never  used  one 
for  that  dish!  " 

"  Now  you  speak  of  it,"  said  his  Lordship, 
"  I  don't  think  I  ever  saw  one  myself.  But 
what  are  you  doing  this  morning?  " 

"  Straightening  the  peas." 

"  Straightening  the  peas?  "  he  asked,  thor 
oughly  mystified. 

"  Yes,  they're  all  waggly.  When  I  plant 
my  garden  I  take  a  string  and  two  pegs  and 
plant  the  seed  along  a  line;  but  these  just 
seem  to  be  put  in  anyhow." 

"  Is  it  good  for  the  peas?  "  asked  the  Bishop 
suspiciously,  as  he  saw  them  being  rooted  up 
and  reset. 


292  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

"  I  can't  say,"  she  returned  sharply.  "  But 
things  ought  to  be  straight  at  an  episcopal 
palace,  if  they  are  anywhere." 

"  So  they  should,"  he  admitted  mournfully, 
"  but  it's  far  from  being  the  case.  That's  why 
I  came  out  to  consult  you." 

"  Go  ahead,  then.    You  talk,  and  I'll  dig." 

And  while  the  plants  were  being  arranged 
to  an  ecclesiastical  standard,  he  retailed  to  her 
the  charges  against  Violet. 

"  Do  you  believe  them?  "  she  asked,  jam 
ming  her  trowel  up  to  its  hilt  in  the  soft  earth. 

"  Of  course  I  do  not." 

"  Right  you  are,"  she  said.  "  I  know  the 
whole  story,  and  it's  nothing  to  be  ashamed 
of,  I  give  you  my  word." 

"  You  relieve  me  immensely." 

"  It's  merely  American  enterprise,"  contin 
ued  the  old  lady.  "  That's  why  they  call  her 
the  Leopard." 

"  The  Leopard — I  don't  understand.  She 
asked  me  to  call  her  that." 

"Well,  I  won't  steal  her  thunder.  She'll 
tell  you  herself." 


MISS  4RMINSTER  VERIFIES   THE  PROVERB.   293 

"  But  she  is  married?  " 

"  Oh,  yes." 

The  Bishop  sighed. 

"  That  disappoints  you?  "  said  Mrs.  Mack 
intosh  thoughtfully,  balancing  a  pea-plant  in 
her  hand. 

"  Yes;   at  least  I'd  hoped—" 

"  I  know.  She  told  me.  We  haven't  any 
secrets  from  each  other." 

"  You  see,"  continued  his  Lordship,  "  if  my 
sister  leaves  me,  I  must  have  some  one  to 
take  her  place;  otherwise — " 

"  She  won't  go." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Bishop;  "  that's  just  the 
point." 

"  You  ought  to  marry  at  once." 

"  I  feel  that  myself;  but  then,  you  see, 
there's  no  one  who  would  care  to  marry  me — 
no  one  at  least  who — " 

"  You  don't  want  a  young  chit." 

"  No,"  said  his  Lordship.  "  Somebody 
more  like  you." 

Mrs.  Mackintosh  paused  in  her  garden 
ing. 


294  HIS  LORDSHIP "S  LEOPARD. 

"  Look  here,"  she  said.  "  Are  you  going 
to  propose  to  me  next?  " 

"  I — was — thinking  of  it,"  admitted  the 
Bishop. 

"  As  a  last  resource?  " 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Mackintosh!  " 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  ever  could  be  a  bishop- 
ess,"  replied  that  lady,  inadvertently  resetting 
a  pea-plant  upside  down. 

"  There's  Jonah,"  said  the  Bishop,  resorting 
to  diplomacy.  "  I  shall  never  be  able  to  com 
plete  that  last  volume  without  the  spur  of  your 
appreciative  criticism." 

"  Well,"  she  replied,  partially  relenting, 
"  I'd  do  a  good  deal  for — Jonah." 

"  Then  you  will!  "  he  cried. 

"  I've  one  row  of  those  peas  left,"  she  re 
turned,  "  and  when  I've  reset  them  I'll  give 
you  your  answer.  That'll  be  in  fifteen  min 
utes.  Now  go  away,  or  you'll  fidget  round, 
and  I  sha'n't  get  'em  straight."  And  without 
another  word  she  resumed  her  digging. 

Fifteen  minutes  later  his  Lordship  was  at 
her  side. 


MISS  ARMINSTER   VERIFIES    THE  PROVERB.    295 

"  There's  one  more  plant  left,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Mackintosh,  cleaning  her  trowel  and  ad 
dressing  herself  to  the  task. 

"  And  are  you  going  to  say  Yes  when  you 
have  finished?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  lady,  "  I  am,  but  it's  mostly 
on  account  of  Jonah." 

The  Bishop  ruthlessly  set  his  foot  on  the 
tender  shoot  which  intervened  between  him 
and  happiness,  crushing  it  to  the  earth. 

Some  time  later  Mrs.  Mackintosh  re 
marked: 

"  The  cathedral  clock  is  striking  twelve,  and 
you're  due  in  the  study." 

"  You  mean,  my  dear,  that  we  are  due,"  re 
plied  his  Lordship. 

On  their  arrival  in  the  Bishop's  sanctum, 
they  found  the  full  force  of  the  company  as 
sembled  to  receive  them. 

Miss  Matilda  looked  on  this  gathering  with 
suspicion. 

"  I  do  not  see,"  she  said,  "  the  need  of  so 


296  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

many  witnesses  to  what  must  prove,  I  fear, 
a  humiliating  confession." 

"  I've  come,"  returned  Mrs.  Mackintosh, 
"  to  lend  moral  support  to — "  She  glanced 
at  the  Bishop,  changed  her  mind,  and  supple 
mented — "  Miss  Arminster." 

"Shall  I  speak?"  asked  Miss  Matilda, 
ignoring  her  remark. 

"  I  will  speak,"  said  his  Lordship.  "  It  is 
my  house,  and  my  place  to  do  so." 

His  sister  sat  down  hurriedly. 

"  I've  sent  for  you,  my  dear,"  he  continued, 
turning  to  Violet,  "  because  certain  charges 
have  been  made  against  you  by  Mr.  March- 
mont  and — others,  and,  as  my  son  informs 
me  that  you  contemplate  marrying  Mr.  Spotts, 
and  asking  me  to  perform  the  ceremony,  I  feel 
it  is  my  duty — " 

"  She's  already — "  broke  in  his  sister. 

"  I  am  speaking,  Matilda,"  he  said  quietly, 
and  she  collapsed. 

"  You  mustn't  think,"  he  went  on,  "  that 
my  asking  you  to  explain  your  position  im 
plies  any  belief  on  my  part  in  the  charges  made 


MISS  ARMINSTER   VERIFIES   THE  PROVERB.   297 

against  you.  I've  only  requested  this  inter 
view  because  I  thought  you'd  like  an  oppor 
tunity  to  disprove  idle  gossip." 

"  It's  very  kind  of  you,"  she  replied,  "  and 
I  shall  avail  myself  of  it  gladly." 

"  Quite  so.  Now  my  sister  tells  me  that 
she's  seen,  in  a  neighbouring  church,  the 
record  of  your  marriage  to  Mr.  Spotts.  Is 
this  so?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Violet.  "  I  married  him 
there  in  1895." 

Miss  Matilda  sniffed  viciously. 

"  Mr.  Marchmont,"  continued  the  Bishop, 
"  in  whose  statements,  I  need  hardly  say,  I 
place  no  reliance,  informed  my  sister  that  you 
had  been  married  with  unusual  frequency;  and 
my  son  tells  me,  also,  that  you've  admitted 
to  him  a — er — a  considerable  number  of — er 
— matrimonial  alliances.  Would  you — er — er 
— consider  it  an  intrusion  on  my  part  if  I  asked 
how  many  times  you  'have  been  married?  " 

"  I've  had  the  marriage  service  performed 
over  me,"  she  replied,  "  thirty-seven  times  in 
four  years." 


298  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

Miss  Matilda  threw  up  her  hands  in  an  ac 
cess  of  horror. 

"  But  your  husbands — "  stammered  his 
Lordship. 

"  I  never  had  but  one  husband,"  she  said. 
"  And  'here  he  stands."  And  she  took  Spotts's 
hand  in  hers. 

"  Bless  my  soul!  "  exclaimed  the  Bishop. 
"  You  surely  haven't  married  him  thirty-seven 
times?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  exactly  the  case,"  she  re 
turned. 

"  But  I  don't  understand." 

"  The  explanation  is  very  simple,"  she  re 
plied.  "  My  husband  and  I  are  both  actors. 
He  plays  the  part  of  the  hero,  and  I  the  part 
of  the  heroine.  In  the  fifth  act,  after  many 
struggles  and  disappointments,  we're  at  last 
united.  To  have  the  marriage  ceremony  actu 
ally  performed  on  the  stage,  or  the  next  day 
at  church,  has  always  proved  a  great  attrac 
tion  to  our  audiences.  At  first  I  objected. 
But  I've  been  informed  by  a  competent 
authority  in  my  own  country  that  there's  no 


MISS  4RM1NSTER  VERIFIES   THE  PROVERB.   299 

canonical  rule  against  it,  and  in  remarrying 
my  husband  I  merely  renew  my  vows  to  him, 
and  I've  never  once  gone  through  the  cere 
mony  lightly  or  thoughtlessly.  I  do  not  de 
fend  the  practice,  or  expect  you  to  approve  of 
it,  and,  now  that  you  know "  the  truth,  I 
shouldn't  think  of  asking  you  to  marry  us 
again;  but  I  don't  consider  that  I've  done 
anything  of  which  I  need  be  ashamed." 

"  Dear  me!  "  said  the  Bishop.  "  In  my  ec 
clesiastical  position  I  can  hardly  approve  of 
the  course  you've  taken;  but  as  a  man — well, 
it's  a  great  relief  to  me." 

"  I  consider  it  a  sacrilege,"  exclaimed  Miss 
Matilda,  "  and,  as  I  remarked  to  Cecil  this 
morning,  that  young  person  leaves  the  palace 
to-day,  or  I  do!  " 

"  You'll  naturally  act  as  seems  to  you  best," 
said  her  brother.  "  But  I  beg  you  to  remem 
ber  that  I'm  master  of  this  house,  and  that 
this  lady  is  my  guest." 

"  And  who,  pray,  will  keep  your  house  for 
you  when  I'm  gone?  "  she  snapped. 

"  I'm  sure  that  Mrs.  Spotts  will  attend  to  it 


300  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  LEOPARD. 

for  me  until  Mrs.  Mackintosh  and  I  are  mar 
ried." 

"Till  you're  married!"  his  sister  repeated 
after  him,  too  astounded  to  grasp  fully  the 
meaning  of  his  words. 

"  It  is  an  event  which  I  hope  will  occur 
shortly,"  her  brother  replied. 

"  That's  enough!  "  she  retorted.  "  I  leave 
Blanford  this  afternoon!  " 

% "  I  trust  you'll  not  go  in  anger,  Matilda," 
he  said.  "  I'm  sure  a  change  will  do  you  good. 
Miss  Arminster — I  mean  Mrs.  Spotts — sug 
gests  a  course  of  mud-baths;  and  if  you'll  per 
mit  me  to  assume  the  expense — " 

"  Josephus!  "  she  returned  shortly,  "  do  not 
add  insult  to  injury."  And  she  swept  from  the 
room. 

"  I,  too,"  said  Professor  Tybalt  Smith,  who 
had  hitherto  remained  silent — "  I,  too,  must 
be  permitted  to  excuse  myself.  It  may  be  that 
I  can  comfort  that  injured  lady  in  her  exile." 
And  he  followed  her  out. 

"  Oh,  I'm  delighted!  "  cried  Violet,  seizing 
Mrs.  Mackintosh's  hand. 


MISS  4RMINSTER  VERIFIES   THE  PROVERB.   3°i 

"  And  I,  too,"  said  Cecil. 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  his  stepmother-to- 
be.  "  That  pleases  me  more  than  anything 
else.  I  hope  you'll  really  make  Blanford  your 
home." 

"  I  shall  indeed,"  he  returned,  "  since  no 
one  will  have  me  as  a  husband." 

"  You've  the  great  success  of  your  book  to 
comfort  you,"  suggested  Violet.  "  What 
more  can  you  ask?  " 

"  Well,  as  it  seems  a  day  of  explanations," 
he  said,,  "  I  should  really  like  to  know  why 
you're  called  'the  Leopard'?" 

"  It's  a  very  trifling  secret  after  all,"  she 
replied,  laughing.  "  But  to  have  let  you  know 
it  would  have  given  away  our  little  plot.  Now 
it  doesn't  matter.  Tell  him,  Alvy." 

"  It's  merely  this,"  said  her  husband  gaily: 
"  that,  as  much  as  she  may  marry,  His  LORD 
SHIP'S  LEOPARD  CAN  NEVER  CHANGE  HER 
SPOT(T)S." 

THE   END. 


"Tense  with  sustained  power." 

— New  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

FOLLY    CORNER 

BY   MRS.  HENRY   DUDENEY 
12mo.    $1.25. 

A  novel  of  love  against  reason  in  conflict  with  love 
conformable  to  reason,  worked  out  with  all  the  power 
of  the  author's  former  novel,  "  The  Maternity  of  Harriot 
Wicken,"  but  much  more  inviting  in  subject,  characters, 
and  treatment.  A  distinct  advance  on  that  able  work 
and  full  of  promise  for  the  future  of  this  rising  author. 
Scene,  Sussex  to-day. 

^V.  y.  Commercial  Advertiser :  "It  shows  the  same  deep 
insight  into  the  complications  of  the  human  soul  [as  did  the 
author's  earlier  novel].  .  .  .  This  story  from  the  opening 
page  is  tense  with  sustained  power  and  is  surely  destined  to  be 
one  of  the  most  important  contributions  to  this  season's 
fiction." 

N.  Y.  Mail  and  Express :  "These  pictures  have  the  true 
color,  alive  with  the  activity  of  nature  or  soothing  in  its  quiet 
ude.  They  form  a  distinct  feature  of  the  book,  beautify  its 
pages  and  make  them  notable.  ...  It  has  the  elements  in  it 
of  a  wider  popularity  [than  that  of  the  author's  earlier  novel], 
which  it  deserves  in  every  sense." 

Buffalo  Commercial:  "We  find  just  the  same  originality  in 
plot,  skill  in  character  depiction,  and  the  effective  presentation 
of  events  [which  characterized  'The  Maternity  of  Harriot  Wic 
ken'].  .  .  In  the  story  we  see  so  artistic  a  description  of  the  play 
of  character, the  various  phases  of  human  goodness  and  badness 
are  so  well  drawn  out,  that  the  book  deserves  high  praise.  .  .  . 
The  description  of  the  life  of  Folly  Corner,  and  the  men  and 
women  seen  there,  is  not  surpassed  by  any  work  of  any 
contemporary  novelist.  The  book  is  a  notable  one  every  way." 

The  Academy,  London:  "  Really  interesting;  .  .  .  the  writ 
ing  is  generally  vigorous  and  even  brilliant.  The  comedy  is 
first  rate.  ...  It  is  in  fact  a  successful  novel." 

HENRY   HOLT  &  CO.    29 

in,  1900 


POOR  HUMAN  NATURE. 

By  Miss  ELIZABETH  GODFREY.    A  Musical  Novel,    ad  Im 
pression.     i2mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  some  Wagnerian  singers  at  the  Court  Opera 
of  Blank enstadt.  It  has  been  said  that  this  name  thinly 
veils  Dresden,  and  that  the  book  gives  an  intimate  picture 
of  musical  life  at  the  Saxon  capital. 

Bookman  :  "  It  is  curiously  convincing-  The  characters,  tot 
are  peculiarly  real.  .  .  Each  and  every  one  stands  out  with 
vivid  distinction,  and  is  not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  .  .  The 
portrayal  of  local  life,  particularly  that  appertaining  to 
operatic  circles,  is  full  or  freshness  and  interest.  .  .  It  is 
well  written,  it  is  nobly  felt,  it  is  altogether  an  admirable 
work." 

New  York  Tribune:  "One  of  the  cleverest  musical  novels  wa 
know,  and  it  is  particularly  creditable  in  that  it  holds  nothing 
of  the  hysterical  gush  with  which  the  feminine  writer  usually 
fills  fiction  of  this  kind.  .  .  The  study  of  the  group  of 
singers  at  the  Royal  Opera  in  a  minor  German  city  is  aston 
ishingly  wall  done,  and  so  is  the  portrait  of  the  great  tenor's 
peasant  wife  ...  so  unmistakably  true  that  she  must  have 
been  drawn  from  life  ...  an  uncommonly  attractive  and 
interesting  novel." 

Boston  Transcript :  "  We  have  nothing  but  praise  to  say  of 
this  fine,  strong  tale,  and  can  recommend  it  heartily  and 
without  qualification." 

Literary  World:  "There  is  a  distinctly  original  touch  in  thia 
story.  .  .  Full  of  interest." 

The  Academy  (London) ;  "  Among  the  incidental  figures  are 
some  excellent  studies.  .  .  Miss  Godfrey  has  given  care  to 
every  detail.  Her  literary  skill  is  notable.  The  story  is  told 
with  grace  and  delicacy  and  no  little  strength." 

Critic :  "The  numerous  admirers  of  the  earlier  book  ["The 
First  Violin"]  will  find  pleasure  in  this  one  .  .  .  she  shows 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  her  subject  .  .  .  may  be  recom 
mended  to  all  interested  in  operatic  life." 

JUST  PUBLISHED. 

THE  HARP  OF  LIFE. 

By  Miss  ELIZABETH  GODFREY.  i2mo,  $1.50. 
Miss  Godfrey's  new  novel  may  fitly  be  called  a  drama  of 
temperament,  for  seldom  has  the  sensitive,  high-strung 
spirit  of  a  musician  been  more  movingly  described  than  in 
her  portrayal  of  the  first  violin  of  the  Pinecliff  (England) 
orchestra.  Among  the  other  characters  are  "Rose  Alba" 
the  singer,  and  an  irresponsible  and  dangerous  Ibsenesque 
woman  novelist.  Miss  Godfrey  has  again  been  uncom 
monly  happy  in  creating  a  "  Musical  atmosphere." 

HENRY  HOLT  &  CO.    29 

iv,  1900 


"Better  than  the  •Prisoner  of  Zenda. '  "—CRITIC 

10th  Impression  of  the  Sequel  to 

"  The  Prisoner  of  Zenda  " 

HOPE'S  RUPERT   OF  HENTZAU 

From  the  memoirs  of  Fritz  von  Tarlenheim.    With  eight  full-page 

illustrations  by  CHARLES  DANA  GIBSON.     lamo,  §1-50. 
.  A.  Dithmnr  in  New   York   Times'  Saturday  Review:  "Delight 
fully  stirring  and  irresponsible,  ...  a  sequel  .  .  .  for  a   wonder  a; 
vigorous  and  powerful  as  its  original.  ...  It  seems  to  bring  romance 
to  life  again." 

Life:  "A  sequel  to  'Zenda'  which  does  not  let  down  one  bit  the 
high  standard  of  chivalrous  love  which  was  the  charm  of  that  romance. 
.  .  .  Mr.  Hope's  heroes  are  never  dull.  .  .  .  These  'Zenda'  stories 
have  added  a  distinctly  modern  value  to  what  men  and  women  mean 
by  the  '  sense  of  honor.'  .  .  .  The  closing  chapters  are  simply  written, 
elevated  in  sentiment,  and  an  ideal  solution  of  the  fate  of  Mavia  and 
Rudolf." 

Geo.  IV,  Smalley  in  New  York  Herald :  "  A  story  which  lays  a  spell 
upon  you.  The  animation  is  unceasing,  and  so,  therefore,  is  the  in 
terest.  .  .  .  Mr.  Hope  has  not  lost  his  old  deftness  in  dialogue.  .  .  . 
The  scene  between  the  two  men  [Sapt  and  James]  after  the  murder 
...  is  a  masterpiece." 

New  York  Tribune  :  "Everything  moves  swiftly  and  naturally  to 
the  climax,  upon  which,  we  may  add,  Mr.  Hope  has  wreaked  himself 
with  a  tact  that  is  perhaps  the  best  thing  in  the  book.  ...  It  is  absorb 
ing,  and  especially  is  it  an  excellent  sequel,  which  is  more  than  can  be 
said  of  most  books  of  its  kind." 

Springfield  Republican  :  "  It  is  a  question  whether  it  does  not  rival 
'The  Prisoner  of  Zenda' itself  in  excellence.  .  .  .  It  strikes  a  stronger 
and  deeper  note." 

Brooklyn  Eagle :  "  Has  the  ring  of  genuine  humanity  and  true 
romance." 

Chicago  Tribune :  "  Considered  as  a  sequel,  the  book  is  surprisingly 
good.  It  retains  the  spirit  of  'Zenda,'  is  fertile  in  invention,  swift  in 
movement,  and  is  of  a  thrilling  and  absorbing  nature." 

6th  Impression  of  the  New  Edition  of 
HOPE'S   PRISONER  OF   ZENDA 

With  five  full-page  illustrations  by  CHARLES  DANA  GIBSON,  and    a 
view  and  plan  of  the  castle  by  HOWAKD  INCH.     iamo,  $1.50. 

OTHER  BOOKS  BY  ANTHONY  HOPE 

With  frontispieces  by  RACKHAM,  RUSSELL,  and  WKCHSLER.     iSuio, 
75  cents  each. 

INDISCRETION  OF  THE  DUCHESS,  i2th  Impression, 
THE  DOLLY  DIALOGUES,  loth  Impression. 
A  CHANGE  OF  AIR,  qth  Impression. 

A  MAN  OF  MARK,  qth  Impretsion. 

SPORT  ROYAL,  ETC  ,  ftk  Impression. 

HENRY  HOLT  &  CO.       2e 

xii '99 


JEROME  K.  JEROME'S  BOOKS 

SKETCHES  IN  LAVENDER,  BLUE,  AND  GREEN 

(Itth  Impression) 

Tales  and  "Characterscapes."  With  40  illustration*,  igmo.  11.35. 
Boston  Transcript  :  "  A  humorist  whose  humor  is  of  the  exquisitely 
pleasing  kind  that  delights  by  its  delicate  exaggeration  of  the  common 
faults  and  foibles  of  humanity,  without  offending  by  descending  to 
mere  burlesque;  .  .  .  there  is  in  his  werk  muc-h  of  both  wit  and  phi 
losophy.  .  .  .  Several  of  the  tales  have  a  strong  emotional  interest." 

fHREE  MEN  IN  A  BOAT  (nth  impression) 

Illustrated.    12010.    Cloth,  $1.25;  paper,  400. 

The  Book  Buyer  .  H  The  best  antidote  for  a  fit  of  the  '  blues  '  that 
has  come  under  our  observation  for  a  long  time.  It  is  an  extremely 
clever  and  amusing  narrative  of  an  outing  on  the  Thames  River." 

IDLE  THOUGHTS  OF  AN  IDLE  FELLOW  (w* 

Impression).     i2mo-.    Cloth,  $1.00;  paper,  350. 

Boston  Transcript:  "  Full  of  a  gentle  philosophizing,  very  tolerant, 
quaintly  humorous;  they  testify  to  assimilated  and  mellowed  obser 
vation,  to  a  quick  apprehension  of  the  droll  and  the  picturesque." 

JOHN  INGERFIELD  (sth  /*•>»»*») 

A  Love  Tragedy  of  Old  London,  and  four  shorter  stories  (two 
humorous).    With  portrait  and  9  illustrations.     i8mo.     750. 
New  York  Times  :  "  The  creepy  Norwegian  ghost  story  (The  Wo 
man  ef  the  Saeter)  ;  .  .  .  the  vague  but  picturesque  sketch  called 
Silhouettes.   .   .   .   The  first  [John  Ingerfield}  is  a  very  sweet  and 
pathetic  love  story,  .  .  .  true  to  the  best  there  is  in  human  nature, 
.  .  .  many  diverse  traits  of  character  and  striking  incidents  being 
compressed  within  its  narrow  limits." 

NOVEL   NOTES 

Stories,  Tragic  or  Humorous.    With  140  Ihs.    ismo.    81.25. 
Athenaum:  "  We  have  here  Mr.  Jerome  at  his  best." 

STAGE-LAND    (Sth  Impression) 

Illustrated.    12010.    Cloth,  fi.oo;  paper,  3oc. 

Church  Review  :  "  We  have  enjoyed  many  a  hearty  laugh  over 
these  descriptions.  .  .  .  The  illustrations  match  with  tne  text  in  be 
ing  truthful  representations,  full  of  humorous  suggestions." 

TOLD  AFTER  SUPPER  (w*  /w/~«,v«) 

With  96  illustrations.    12010.    Cloth,  $1.00,  paper,  300. 

DIARY  OF  A  PILGRIMAGE  a^h  impression) 

(and  Six  Essays).  Illustrated  by  G.  G.  Fraser.  12010.  Cloth,  $1.05. 


ON  THE  STAGE—  AND  OFF 

The  Brief  Career  of  a  Would-be  Actor.    Cloth,  $1.00;  paper,  «$c 

HENRY  HOLT  &  CO., 


BARROW'S  THE  FORTUNE  OF  WAR   A  novel  of  the 

last  year  of  the  American  Revolution.     i2mo.      $1.25. 

The  scene  is  laid  mainly  in  New  York  City  during 

the  British  occupation,  partly  on  one  of  the    prison 

ships,  and  partly  in  the  patriot  camp  at  Morristown. 

The   life   in  the  headquarters   of  the   two  armies  is 

cleverly  contrasted.     The  story  has   a  strong  "love 

interest." 

N.  Y.  Times  Saturday  Review :  "  The  story  is  a  good 
one,  the  historical  data  accurate,  and  the  ways  and  man 
ners  of  the  period  are  cleverly  presented." 

The  Outlook:  "Miss  Elizabeth  Barrow  has  done  her 
work,  not  only  well,  but  delightfully  well." 

Chicago  Times-Herald :  "(Another  tale  of  the  time  of 
Washington,  but  one  that  is  more  deserving  both  of 
popular  and  critical  appreciation  than  some  of  the 
much-vaunted  financial  successes." 

Springfield  Republican:  "It  gives  a  good  picture  of  New 
York  City  as  it  was  in  the  eighteenth  century.  .  .  .  The 
story  is  agreeable  reading." 

Hartford  Courant :  "  She  has  done  good  work  in  her 
romance;  ...  it  is  told  in  a  very  attractive  way.  .  .  . 
The  book  is  decidedly  one  that  will  entertain." 

GODFREY'S   THE   HARP   OF   LIFE 

Uniform  with  the  author's  "  Poor  Human  Nature." 
12010.  $1.50. 

An  intensely  human  story  of  an  episode  in  the  life 
of  the  first  violin  of  an  orchestra,  at  an  English  water 
ing-place.  Miss  Godfrey  has  again  been  uncom 
monly  happy  in  creating  a  "musical  atmosphere." 

LUCAS'S  THE  OPEN  ROAD 

A  little  book  for  wayfarers,  bicycle-wise  and  other 
wise.  Compiled  by  E.  V.  LUCAS,  editor  of  "  A  Book 
of  Verses  for  Children."  With  illustrated  cover-lin 
ings.  Green  and  gold  flexible  covers.  I2mo.  $1.50. 

Some  125  poems  of  out-door  life  and  25  prose  pas 
sages,  representing  over  60  authors,  including  Fitz 
gerald,  Shelley,  Shakespeare,  Kenneth  Grahame, 
Stevenson,  Whitman,  Bliss  Carman,  Browning, 
William  Watson,  Alice  Meynel,  Keats,  Wordsworth, 
Matthew  Arnold,  Tennyson,  William  Morris,  Maurice 
Hewlett,  Izaak  Walton,  Wm.  Barnes,  Herrick,  Gervase 
Markham,  Dobson,  Lamb,  Milton,  Whittier,  etc. 

HENRY  HOLT  &  CO.    29 

in,  1900 


18th  Impression  of  a  Remarkable  Romance. 

THE    GADFLY. 

By  E.  L.  VOYNICH.     12010,  cloth.     $1.25. 

New  York  Tribune  :  "It  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  one  of  the 
most  powerful  novels  of  the  decade.  .  .  .  He  shows  us  the  veritable 
conspirator  of  history,  who  plotted  like  a  human  being  and  not  like  an 
operatic  bandit.  .  .  .  It  is  a  thrilling  book  and  absolutely  sober.  .  .  . 
'  The  Gadfly  '  is  an  original  and  impressive  being  ;  .  .  .  a  story  to 
remember." 

New  York  Times  :  "  Paradox  worked  up  with  intense  dramatic  effect 
is  the  salient  feature  of  '  The  Gadfly  ';  .  .  .  shows  a  wonderfully  strong 
hand,  and  descriptive  powers  which  are  rare;  ...  a  very  remarkable 
romance." 

The  Dial  :  "One  of  the  most  interesting  phases  of  the  history  of 
Nineteenth  Century  Europe.  The  story  of  the  Italian  revolutionary 
movement;  ...  is  full  of  such  incidents  as  the  novelist  most  desires; 
.  .  .  this  novel  is  one  of  the  strongest  of  the  year,  vivid  in  conception, 
and  dramatic  in  execution,  filled  with  intense  human  feeling,  and 
worked  up  to  a  tremendously  impressive  climax." 

TXi?  Critic  :  "  An  historical  novel  permeated  with  a  deep  religious 
interest  in  which  from  first  to  last  the  story  is  dominant  and  absorbing. 
.  .  .  '  The  Gadfly  '  is  a  figure  to  live  in  the  imagination." 

The  New  York  Herald  :  "  An  exceptionally  clever  story,  eminently 
fresh  and  original.  The  author  has  a  capital  story  to  tell,  and  he  tells 
it  consummately  well.  .  .  .  The  beaten  track  has  not  allured  him,  and 
the  characters  to  whom  he  introduces  us  are  not  such  as  we  meet  in 
every-day  novels.  This  is  the  crowning  merit  of  this  book." 

The  Chap  Book  :  "  Gives  the  reading  public  an  opportunity  to  wel 
come  a  new  and  intense  writer;  ...  a  profound  psychological  study; 
...  a  powerful  climax.  Yet,  however  much  the  imagination  be  used, 
the  author  will  be  found  to  rise  beyond  it;  the  scene  at  High  Mass  on 
the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi  being  one  of  the  most  powerful  in  English 
fiction." 

The  Independent:  "We  have  read  this  peculiar  romance  with 
breathless  interest;  ...  a  romance  of  revolutionary  experiences  in 
Italy;  lifelike,  stirring,  picturesque,  a  story  of  passion,  sacrifice,  and 
tragic  energy." 

The  Literary  World  :  "  A  powerful  and  picturesque  story  —  a  canvas 
glowing  with  color  and  life  —  the  few  striking  characters  stand  out  in 
firm,  resolute  outlines.  We  heartily  commend  '  The  Gadfly.'  " 

The  Buffalo  Commercial:  "In  every  way  sharp,  thrilling,  enter 
taining." 

The  Chicago  Post  :  "  A  powerful  story,  and,  unlike  others  of  its  kind, 
holds  the  reader's  attention  strictly  to  the  end." 

The  Chicago  Times-Herald:  "  '  The  Gadfly  '  is  a  tremendous  story. 
It  goes  on  like  a  whirlwind,  gathering  force  as  it  rushes." 


HENRY  HOLT  &  CO., 


29 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Form  L9-40m-7,'56(C790s4)444 


UCLA-Young  Research  Library 

PS3158   .W47h 

y 


L  009  617  780  3 


AA    001227983    2 


